You may be aware that the Department of Health developed and finalised the report “COVID-19 Guidance Bereavement Advice and Support” in 2021 , with 7 recommendations including:

“That the HSC Bereavement Network membership is expanded to become the Northern Ireland Bereavement Network, with responsibility for developing and leading the strategic bereavement plan for the next 10 years. The Northern Ireland Bereavement Network should include all relevant cross-departmental and community organisations and agencies” and outlined the connection with Advance Care Planning, therefore  the Advance Care Planning programme are keen to promote this piece of work.

As a first stage in this work, the Patient and Client Council (PCC) are taking forward the development of a Bereavement Charter for NI as part of the NI Bereavement Network.

A Bereavement Charter sets out pledges to bereaved individuals and loved ones about the standards of service and care they should expect to receive following the death of a loved one.

To help begin the wider societal conversation needed for the development of a Bereavement Charter for NI, the @PatientClient are now conducting a survey to help understand what matters most to the people of Northern Ireland when considering death, bereavement and grief. This survey encompasses all experiences and is not limited to life-limiting conditions or expected deaths.

We would be very grateful if you would  circulate  survey, which is accessed  by following the link below;

https://consultations2.nidirect.gov.uk/hsc/7f44400c/

You are encouraged to be as open and honest as possible in your responses to this survey, all of which will be anonymised. This will ensure that charter development is more representative of our society and the communities within it. The closing date for this survey is 7^th February 2022.