King’s College Hospital Charity Bereavement Service

The King’s College Hospital Charity Bereavement Service was developed by King’s College Hospital Charity in response to COVID-19 and the traumatic circumstances in which many lost loved ones. We created the bereavement service for the families, friends and partners of those who died at King’s College Hospital Foundation Trust during the pandemic. The service appointed Family Liaison Officers to reach out to the next of kin to provide practical and emotional support, and to refer them to therapeutic bereavement counselling. This was outsourced to a specialised local provider of bereavement services, St Christopher’s Hospice, who are experts in helping those experiencing bereavement to process complex grief. Funded through the success of our Hospital Heroes fundraising appeal, the bereavement service ensured that families were assessed for vulnerability and given access to support prior to and after the death of their loved one. Information, guidance, and education was offered to those caring for those who were dying or bereaved. Our beneficiaries received access to a comprehensive 12 week programme of specialist therapeutic support to process complex grief healthily and move on with their lives.