Bridging the gap in perinatal palliative care
We’re proud to share that Shooting Star has been shortlisted for three prestigious national awards – a recognition that highlights the exceptional dedication of our team to babies, children, young people, and their families. Among the honours is a nomination for the Children’s Services Award at the Nursing Times Awards, celebrating our pioneering work in specialist perinatal palliative care.
Across Surrey and south-west London, this innovative initiative is transforming how care is delivered to babies born with a life-limiting condition. At the heart of this effort is Sinead Summers, Perinatal Palliative Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) at Shooting Star, whose ground-breaking role is building vital bridges between neonatal, maternity, hospice and community services, ensuring that every baby receives compassionate, dignified care, and every family feels supported through the most difficult of journeys.
“The belief that all seriously ill babies and their families, should have access to the full range of palliative care services that Shooting Star offers is the driving force that motivates me in my role, as the first Perinatal Palliative CNS in Surrey and south-west London,” shares Sinead.
Perinatal palliative care includes help before, during and after birth to make sure baby is comfortable and not in pain, and to provide extra support for the whole family at a very difficult time.
“When I stepped into this role in November 2022, it was clear there was a gap. Despite the reality that the highest number of deaths among children occur in babies under one year of age, especially in the first 28 days, referrals to specialist palliative care were worryingly low.”
Shooting Star recognised this and, with NHS support, launched a six-month pilot to embed palliative care into neonatal and obstetric services (the medical care provided to women during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period). That pilot is now a permanent, vital part of our hospice’s Specialist Paediatric Palliative Care Team (SPACE) – the team of doctors, specialist nurses and pharmacists who provide clinical care for babies and children with particularly complex palliative care needs.
Sinead continues, “My role is about more than clinical care, it’s about connection. Being present in hospitals, building relationships with the expert neonatal and obstetric teams means that I can provide a direct link to the SPACE team and hospice. Together, we can implement high-quality palliative care. We identify babies early, plan compassionate care, manage symptoms, and support families throughout.
“Whether it’s attending neonatal ward rounds, facilitating advance care planning and symptom management, or meeting with families to explain how the hospice can help them, I aim to ensure that every baby is cared for with dignity, and every family feels supported and heard.
“One of the most powerful moments in this role was supporting a family whose baby, diagnosed before-birth with a life-limiting condition, was able to be born into a calm, prepared environment and die peacefully, surrounded by love. That’s the difference early palliative involvement can make.
“Since the role began, referrals for babies under one have increased by 41%, doubling for new-borns aged 0–28 days. That’s not just a statistic: it’s more families receiving the care they deserve.”
Shooting Star’s perinatal team are now exploring how to expand the model to more neonatal units. At its heart, this work is about community, building trust between families and professionals, bridging the gap between fragmented services and ensuring that every baby has access to the palliative care that they need.
Find out ways you can support our vital work, including our perinatal palliative care.
