Birmingham Women’s and Children’s ‘first of its kind in the NHS’ policy inspiration for new national law change
Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust (BWC) is delighted the Government announced yesterday (11 March) they were agreeing to amend employment law to recognise that parents who lose their baby through miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy are entitled to bereavement leave.
BWC launched its own pioneering policy, the first of its kind in our NHS, in 2021, that goes further, enabling two weeks of paid bereavement leave for their employees who experience this loss. The Trust’s policy was cited as key evidence in a detailed report from the Women and Equalities Committee in January that has informed this change.
The Select Committee heard from a range of employers and professional bodies who all agreed that a period of paid leave “should be available to all women and partners who experience a pre-24-week pregnancy loss.”
Raffaela Goodby, Chief People Officer at BWC, has worked with colleagues at BWC and HR leads, trade unions, NHS England, The Miscarriage Association and Tommy’s Charity over the last few years to support organisations in introducing more support for employees.
She said: “We’re amazingly proud of our work when it comes to supporting our BWC family with love and compassion during the most heartbreaking and challenging of times.
“Since we launched our policy we’ve seen how such structured support can help those who lose their baby, meaning that colleagues are more likely to stay with our organisation and to recommend the NHS as a place to work.
“While today’s news from the Government is welcome, we believe, backed up by our own evidence, that national employment law should go further and ensure that two weeks of paid bereavement leave is supported for all employees. This would make a huge difference to so many people and is another step in tackling the stigma around miscarriage and the impact of pregnancy loss on parents and families.”
BWC was proud to lead the way in 2021 with a package of support for colleagues that included periods of paid leave, for those who experience pregnancy loss through miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy or termination or have a child that is born prematurely.
Since then, the policy, produced jointly by the Trust and our Trade Union partners, has offered up to ten days paid leave for the person who was pregnant and up to five days paid leave for their partner.
In addition to this, staff members are also offered paid time off for appointments linked to the pregnancy loss and have a promise that all requests to work flexibly following a bereavement are treated with understanding and sensitivity. Our policy also offers paid leave for colleagues undergoing fertility treatment.
Last year (2024), it was announced the policy was adopted nationally across the NHS, applying to all 1.6 million NHS people.
Rachel Carter, Director of Midwifery and Deputy Chief Nurse (Women’s), said: “We always aim to offer the very best personalised care to families who experience pregnancy loss at our Women’s Hospital. In the last 3 years we’ve seen the positive difference this support can make to people during such a challenging time of their lives.
“We’ve been pleased to see many other organisations follow our lead since 2021 and we urge the Government to go further in changing the law to support more families across the country.”
Janet Ballintine, Staffside Lead and Royal College of Midwives (RCM) Activist, said: “The RCM and Staffside were a joint partner in developing this policy at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s - ensuring this paid leave is available to all staff members who need it at an incredibly difficult time of their lives.”
The Trust has been a supporter and a signatory of the Smallest Things Charter since 2021 that advocates more support to families who have a child / children born prematurely. We will continue to contribute to research and best practice for premature babies and families, which we mark every November for World Prematurity Day.
BWC is proud to have taken the lead in the NHS on this matter and remains as passionate as ever about increasing awareness of pregnancy loss and its impact.
In February 2024, the Trust opened its dedicated pregnancy and baby loss centre, Woodland House. The first of its kind in a UK hospital setting, the charitably funded centre now offers a safe haven for families experiencing the heartbreak of loss, allowing families to grieve in private, away from the busy main hospital.
The Trust works alongside the Tommy’s Charity, which has a base at the Women’s Hospital, on pioneering research into new ‘graded models of care’.
Currently, families generally have to wait until they’ve experienced three miscarriages before they qualify for specialist care and support. Clinicians at our hospital are piloting a new system where care and support is offered after every miscarriage, with testing and investigations increasing with each loss.