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Local charity refurbishes ‘Outstanding’ Butterfly Bereavement Suite

Warrington Hospital’s maternity bereavement suite, The Butterfly Suite has had a full refurbishment courtesy of one of our local charities Harry & Co, Golden Square Shopping Centre, Warrington, Assura plc and Sellafield Ltd. This means that we now have two dedicated bereavement suites with en-suite facilities and a contained kitchen area. To provide families with homely and bespoke accommodation this offers comfort and privacy at the most difficult time of their lives.

The Butterfly Suite is part of our bereavement service, which was singled out in our recent CQC inspection for outstanding practice, ‘the bereavement service had won an award in 2018 for the best hospital bereavement service. There were two en-suite rooms with cuddle cots available. The specialist bereavement midwife was very responsive to individual needs from early losses to term babies.’

The suite was officially opened by the Bishop of Warrington, the Rt Revd Beverley Mason and CEO, Mel Pickup and Chairman, Steve McGuirk.

Harry & Co have supported the Trust in developing their bereavement facilities for families after the loss of their child, Harry, who was stillborn in 2010. The original Butterfly Suite suite was made possible by the charity.

Kate Tinker, founder of Harry & Co explains how the charity have supported the Butterfly Suite,

“On 14th May 2010, our [ and husband Chris] world came crashing around us as we learned that our baby had no heartbeat following a spontaneous scan due to reduced movements at 40 weeks gestation. When I returned to the Labour Ward to prepare to give birth to Harry, we were shown to the bereavement suite. Whilst the bereavement suite was a lovely concept, it became clear within the coming hours that it required closer attention to detail; which is exactly we have done over the last 9 years.

“We invested heavily in the memory making area, so families had something to take away with them as we left the hospital with nothing. “Following our partnership with Golden Square in 2016/17; we were offered a full refurbishment of the suite, providing two separate suites with en-suite facilities for families whose world falls apart due to the loss of their baby.”

Rt Revd Beverley Mason, Bishop of Warrington, carried out a blessing of the suite explained, “It was a year ago when I was in Warrington Hospital for the announcement of my appointment as Bishop of Warrington. My very first pastoral situation as a ‘new’ Bishop, was meeting and praying with a lovely young mum whose baby had just died. “I could only imagine the shock, trauma, bewilderment and utter desolation; having to repeat the hollow words to well-wishers who hadn’t heard, and somehow trying to make sense of the senseless. The care and compassion of the nurses and the very kind space that the Butterfly Suite made a real difference. “I am so thankful for Kate and Chris’s vision for this place and for the imagination, empathy and generosity of many others who have made the opening of this suite possible today. It is such a privilege and honour to be invited back, today, for its formal opening. May this suite continue to be a kind place and one of hope and immeasurable love and peace to all who come here.”

Satish Hulikere, Clinical Director for the Women’s and Children’s unit said,

“We are very grateful to Harry & Co, Golden Square, the other companies and all the families that have helped make the vision for The Butterfly Suite a reality. All our families are able to stay for as long as they wish in the bespoke rooms located in a separate area of our labour ward. The rooms are tastefully furnished and colour co-ordinated in pastel colours, each has its own small kitchen area and en-suite facilities.

“Parents have the opportunity to spend precious time with their baby in these rooms and the chance to create special memories. Siblings, family members and friends are all made very welcome. Our facilities, memory making and bereavement service continues to go from strength to strength and in 2018 we received a Butterfly Award for the best hospital bereavement service and our latest CQC report highlighted the bereavement service as an outstanding area of practice. This is made possible by working together with Harry & Co and other local and national charities, the families themselves and our dedicated staff to achieve the best that we can in the most difficult of circumstances, thank you.”

Ian Cox, Centre Director, Golden Square added:

“When I first met Kate and the team at Harry & Co I was really moved by her experience and how it had inspired her to help other people in a similar position. “Our shoppers, retailers and the centre team all got fully behind our fundraising efforts and we’re thrilled we’ve been able to help make Kate’s vision for a Butterfly Suite a reality.

” The Golden Square team did more than just raise funds, they also created their own ‘DIY SOS’ team as Ian explained: “We worked with all of our suppliers to get all of the fixtures, fittings and even the bathrooms that were needed to complete this project. The Golden Square team has knocked down walls, built, plumbed, painted and decorated; it’s been a fantastic team effort which has created a very special place.”

Claire Rick, Head of Public Affairs for Assura plc, said: “This was a local charity project that our team was so very keen to support – we were very struck by Harry and Co’s focus on even the smallest of touches to create a space away from the hustle and bustle of a busy hospital, where families can simply be together at such an important time.”

Pauline Deans, Community Liaison Officer, Sellafield Ltd, said: “Harry & Co was nominated by our staff as our chosen charity for 2018 and raised nearly £12,000. Some of the funds have been used to furnish the Butterfly Suite, which will give families the privacy they need to share precious moments with their baby, during this difficult time.”

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