News
Post mortem consent package from Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity
Sands is launching a Post mortem consent package which aims to improve the consent process for both bereaved parents and professionals. It was developed over 2 years in close consultation with health professionals and parents, including the AAPT.
The package has been approved by the Human Tissue Authority and supported by the AAPT, BRIPPA (the British and Irish Paediatric Pathologists Association) and the Royal College of Pathologists, as well as by other key professional and parents’ organisations.
AAPT Council commented “We are supportive of having this new consent paperwork and a national standard will go a long way to helping ensure all the consent for relatives, procedures and use of tissue samples is obtained at one time using one form”
The package contains a consent form, a guide for consent takers, and a booklet for parents. The guide and the booklet are relevant throughout the UK and can also be used as a basis for training. The parent-friendly form can currently only be used in England but Sands hopes it will eventually be adopted more widely.
Printed copies of the booklet Deciding about a hospital post mortem examination: Information for parents are available from Sands. The booklets themselves are free but there will be a charge for postage and packing. Email orders: shop@uk-sands.org, telephone orders: 0845 6520 445. The booklet can also be downloaded from the Sands website: www.uk-sands.org/support
For more information, please contact alix.henley@uk-sands.org