Brighton & Hove City Council (for practical advice)

Here you can find information about local crematoria and cemetries, as well as practical advice about what to do when someone dies. There is also information about local support organisations.

Council bereavement services

Midwives and Parents Support (MAPS)

Information and support for bereaved parents, run by midwives at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath. Holds monthly support meetings, allowing parents to share thoughts, feelings and experiences in a safe and confidential environment. The service is open to anyone who has lost a baby, whenever and wherever the birth occurred, and endeavours to trace babies for parents who don't know what happened to them. Also provides support to couples who are expecting another baby after a loss.

Meetings are held on the first Friday of each month at 7.30pm in the room adjacent to the antenatal clinic at the Princess Royal Hospital.

Tel 01444 441881 (ext 8485).

Cruse Bereavement Care
Offers information and support to anyone who has been affected by a death. Services include on-to-one counselling and drop-in sessions. 

Community Base, 113 Queens Road, Brighton
Tel: 01273 234007
Email: westsussexarea@cruse.org.uk

www.cruse.org.uk

Sally Meyer, baby bereavement counsellor, based at the RSCH

Sally is a counsellor and psychotherapist in maternity and neonatal services at the Royal Sussex County Hospital (RSCH). People can refer themselves or be referred by doctors, nurses or midwives. She offers six to eight sessions (free on the NHS) and can see couples, as well as individuals. There is sometimes a waiting list for this service, but Sally can usually see people within two months and often earlier from the date of referral.

Please note that Sally works on Level 12 of the Royal Sussex County Hospital, which can be distressing for some people if they have lost their baby at this hospital. However, Sally can also offer a room in  Sussex House for counselling sessions.

sally.meyer@bsuh.nhs.uk; 01273 696955, extension 7928

Brighton and Hove Bereavement Support

A free service available to anyone in Brighton who has suffered the loss through death of someone they love. Trained support workers can meet you at home or in the central Brighton office.

Tel 01273 772210 or 328767. 
Drop-in sessions at Chapel Royal, 164 North Street (opposite a shop called The Pier).

Brighton, Hove and District Samaritans
Provides confidential emotional support to any person who is suicidal or despairing. 

Tel: 116 123 free from any phone/0330 094 5717
Email: jo@samaritans.org
www.samaritans.org.uk

NATIONAL ORGANISATIONS

National Sands
Provides support to anyone affected by the death of a baby; promotes better care for bereaved parents among health professionals; promotes research into the causes of stillbirth and neonatal death.

Helpline: 0808 164 3332 (manned Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm; 24-hour answerphone)

Email: helpline@sands.org.uk
www.sands.org.uk

Sands online community
This online resource allows bereaved parents to share thoughts and experiences in a confidential, secure environment. There is also a separate section for parents who are pregnant again after losing a baby.

www.sands.org.uk

National Counselling Directory

A UK-wide directory, allowing people to find counsellors and psychotherapists in their area.

www.counselling-directory.org.uk

Babyloss
An online support resource for anyone affected by the death of a baby during pregnancy, at birth or shortly afterwards. Each October, Babyloss joins forces with other national charities to run remembrance events and to raise awareness about pregnancy and infant loss among the general public and health professionals.
www.babyloss.com

The Miss Foundation
Online support following the death of a child.
www.missfoundation.org

ARC (Antenatal Results and Choices)
A national charity that provides non-directive support and information to parents throughout the antenatal testing process, to help parents arrive at the most appropriate decision for them if testing reveals that there is a risk of their baby being born with an abnormality.
www.arc-uk.org