In an open letter to the Minister for the Cabinet Office, the Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, the group, led by the Childhood Bereavement Network and the National Bereavement Alliance, describe how physical distancing is affecting death and mourning during the outbreak, and how they expect this to impact on bereavement over the coming months.
The letter reads:
Dear Minister
The grief of families, friends and colleagues is the inevitable and painful legacy of the COVID-19 outbreak. However much we succeed in flattening the peak and maintaining the capacity of the NHS, many thousands of people are already mourning loved ones and many more will join them.
The physical distancing measures so necessary for public health have upsetting consequences for all bereaved people at this time, whether the death was through coronavirus, cancer, cardiac arrest or another cause. Many family members and friends cannot spend time saying goodbye to dying loved ones, cannot have the funeral they would choose, and cannot hug and comfort one another in person. These barriers between us make grief so much harder to bear at this time, and will linger as painful memories for those affected. We expect to see an increase in complex grief reactions in the coming months.
Just as the need for bereavement care services is set to increase, these organisations are having to find new ways of delivering support, bringing people together to combat the loneliness of grief, and providing 1:1 support and counselling to children and adults who need it. At the same time, these crucial services are facing major drops in income as fundraising events are cancelled, training courses postponed and charity shops closed.
The legacy of grief from these exceptional times will last for months and years to come. The work of those responding to this grief is only just beginning. We urge the Government to recognise their crucial contribution to protecting the nation from the consequences of COVID-19, and to support these services over time.
The letter is signed by
Alison Penny (for correspondence), Director Childhood Bereavement Network, Coordinator National Bereavement Alliance
Emma Kneebone, Bereavement Services Manager, 2 Wish Upon A Star
Yvonne Richmond Tulloch, Founder and CEO, At a Loss
Sara Bennett, CEO, Balloons
Clare Yilmaz, Head of Children and Young People’s Services, CancerHelp (Preston) Ltd
Ann Chalmers, Chief Executive, Child Bereavement UK
Natasha Williamson, Counselling & Family Support Team, Claire House Children’s Hospice
Justine Wilson, Bereavement Services Manager, Compton Care
Steven Wibberley, Chief Executive, Cruse Bereavement Care
Keith Robertson, Chief Executive Officer, Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland
Gill Stevens, Director, Daisy’s Dream
Linda Sterry, Service Manager, Funeral Link
Liz Dempsey, Clinical Servcies Director, Grief Encounter
Sarah Hill, Head of GriefChat, GriefChat
Jojo Gosney, Project Lead, Harbour Counselling
Odette Mould, CEO & Family Liaison Officer, Harry’s Rainbow
Nicola Welsh, CEO, Held In Our Hearts
Jennifer Hattan, Service Manager, Jigsaw (South East)
Jane Robinson, Manager, Leeds Bereavement Forum
Tina Mangar, Family Support Worker, Living On Bereavement Service
Matthew Reed, CEO, Marie Curie
Kay Greene, Director of Clinical Services, Mary Ann Evans Hospice
Marie Faux, Senior Sister, Mary Stevens Hospice
Margaret Hannibal MBE, CEO, Mosaic Supporting Bereaved Children
Chris James, Director of External Affairs, Motor Neurone Disease Association
Jean Watkins, Head of Bereavement, National Bereavement Service
Susan Daniell, Bereavement Service Coordinator, North London Hospice
Becky Thomas, Family Services Manager, Penhaligon’s Friends
Alison Glynne-Jones, Bereavement Service Coordinator, Princess Alice Hospice
Catherine Betley, Managing Director, Professional Help
Zillah Bingley, Chief Executive, Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity
Donna Hastings, Children and Families Worker, St Columba’s Hospice Care
Sharon Cornford , Bereavement Services Manager, St Joseph’s Hospice
Rebecka Sparks, Specialist Palliative Care Social Worker, St Richard’s Hospice
Ann-Marie McKiernan, Stars service coordinator & lead counsellor, Stars
Sarah Gigg, Director of Nursing & Interim Director of Hospices, Sue Ryder
Sarah Bates, Executive Lead, Support After Suicide Partnership
Carolyn Brice, Chief Executive, The Compassionate Friends
Robert Cuming, CEO, The Counselling Foundation
Linda Magistris, CEO, The Good Grief Trust
Dr Erin Hope Thompson, Founder & Director, The Loss Foundation
Dayna Cook, Care Support Lead, The Norfolk Hospice
Julie Stokes OBE, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, The Preston Associates
Andy Fletcher, Chief Executive, Together for Short Lives
Vicki Quarton, Bereavement Support Director, Touchstones Child Bereavement Support
Jane Gibbins, Counselling Team Leader, Ty Gobaith Children’s Hospices
Peter Taylor, Elected Mayor of Watford, Watford Bereavement Support Group
Rebecca Cooper, CEO, WAY Widowed and Young
Melissa Hillier, Director, We Hear You
Fergus Crow, Chief Executive, Winston’s Wish