End of life care for infants, children and young people with life-limiting conditions: planning and management

Recommendation ID: NG61/2
Question: Perinatal palliative care:- What impact does timely perinatal palliative care have on the experience of bereaved parents?
Any explanatory notes (if applicable): Why this is important:- Parents with a baby that is diagnosed antenatally with a life-limiting condition are increasingly being offered perinatal palliative care before the birth (or very soon afterwards) if they decide to continue with the pregnancy.
Perinatal palliative care should help clinical staff (obstetric, neonatal and specialist palliative care) to deliver consistent high-quality care and ensure that families are offered meaningful and realistic choices for the care of their baby. If it is done well, perinatal palliative care also ensures that everyone involved understands the medical, social and legal frameworks for any decisions on critical care before and after birth.
There is little evidence on the experience families have of the death of a baby with or without specific support from a perinatal palliative care team. Individual case reports on family experience are very positive about perinatal palliative care, but published evidence is scarce.

Source guidance details

Comes from guidance: End of life care for infants, children and young people with life-limiting conditions: planning and management
Number: NG61
Date issued: December 2016

Is this a recommendation for the use of a technology only in the context of research?	No
Is it a recommendation that suggests collection of data or the establishment of a register?	No
Last Reviewed	31/12/2016