When a child dies, we provide a dedicated area at our Guildford hospice, Christopher’s, with rooms where a child can lay at rest. This allows you and your family time to say goodbye in a safe environment, supported by an expert care team.
End-of-life care
We provide end-of-life care through our dedicated team of professionals – including our in-house and community nursing teams and our symptom management team of Clinical Nurse Specialists. We work in collaboration with palliative care teams at the Royal Marsden Hospital, Evelina London Children’s Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital to provide expert medical and nursing care, either at Christopher’s or in the home, 24-hours a day.
Bereavement suite
Cold blankets
A cold blanket chills a mattress allowing the body of a child who has died to be preserved so that their family can spend extra hours or days with their child. This specialist equipment is especially important for parents who wish for their child to be at home in their final days, rather than at our hospice or in hospital.
Making keepsakes
We help create keepsakes you can cherish including hand and foot castings, hand and foot prints, hair locks and memory boxes. We also work closely with external companies who can create personalised artwork and jewellery using a child’s individual prints. Memory making sessions can be facilitated in the hospice, in your home or in hospital.
Our bereavement suite
Being told your baby will not survive is an unimaginably painful moment, and having to make decisions at such a time can feel overwhelming.
This video, featuring information and the personal story of Rhodri’s parents, explains what coming to Christopher’s for end-of-life care would mean, and how we can help families say goodbye in their own time.
Funeral support
We can help you plan and organise your child’s funeral, guiding you every step of the way. We can also help you find charities and organisations that will support you with costs. We will do everything we can to help you ensure that this important day is just how you wish it to be.
Post bereavement support
If you become bereaved, you will continue to have access to all our facilities for three years and three months, as well as being able to access dedicated support like grief counselling.