Bereavement support in the UK – a rapid evidence assessment

Abstract

Bereavement can be a distressing experience and the importance of bereavement support has been recognised in policy and practice for many years. This rapid evidence assessment was undertaken to evaluate the provision and effectiveness of bereavement support in the United Kingdom (UK) and to identify gaps in service provision and areas of need with regard to bereavement services.

The main finding of the review was that the provision of bereavement support is extremely varied and there is no conclusive evidence for its effectiveness. There is widespread recognition of the potentially negative impact of bereavement on people, and a plethora of recommendations focused on raising awareness and ameliorating these effects have been made. However, the evidence for how best to support people experiencing bereavement is limited and contested.

Keywords:

• bereavement
• evidence review
• bereavement support
• services

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to express their gratitude to the Sue Ryder charity for funding this review. Thanks are also due to Amunpreet Boyal, Duncan Lugton, and Elinor Jayne at Sue Ryder for helpful comments on an earlier draft of this paper. We are also grateful to the two reviewers for Bereavement Care for their insightful and constructive comments. 

Additional information

Funding

This review was funded by the Sue Ryder charity. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Sue Ryder charity.

Notes on contributors

Alistair Hewison

Shazia Zafar

Nikolaos Efstathiou