Orchid study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Co-designing psychological support offered to bereaved parents across the perinatal loss care pathway at Bart’s Health (Orchid Study)
IRAS ID
364993
Contact name
Rebecca Webb
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
City St Georges, University of London
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 1 months, 31 days
Research summary
Perinatal loss, otherwise known as baby loss, refers to the death of a baby from conception to up to a year after birth. Perinatal loss can have significant impacts on parent’s mental health. Despite this, research suggests many bereaved parents are not able to access timely and appropriate psychological support. At Barts Health NHS Trust there are three perinatal loss services across three hospitals. Bereavement midwives at Barts Health have identified that psychological support offered to bereaved parents is lacking. Although bereavement midwives can refer to specialist perinatal mental health services, waiting times are long and these services are not always appropriate for parents who have experienced perinatal loss. Therefore, the aim of this research is to co-design, with bereaved parents and health professionals, recommendations for improvements to the psychological support offered to bereaved parents across the perinatal loss care pathway at Bart’s Health. To carry out this research, we will use interviews and a co-design approach. We will recruit approximately 10 sets of bereaved parents (single parents are also eligible) and between 10-20 health professionals. We will carry out interviews with bereaved parents to understand their experiences of the psychological support they were offered following their loss. We will also carry out interviews with health professionals who support bereaved parents to understand their views on the current psychological support offered. We will use results from the interviews to guide discussions in the co-design groups, which will be held separately for parents and health professionals. The co-design sessions will work with parents, health professionals and researchers to develop recommendations for psychological support following perinatal loss.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/NW/0339
Date of REC Opinion
21 Jan 2026
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion