Guidelines: 6. Provide Continuity

  • Parents appreciate continuity and familiar faces
  • Be aware of challenges when families are transferred between wards, hospitals and departments
  • Parents find it painful to have to retell different individuals about their loss
  • Ensure that you have appropriate information before approaching parents
  • Be clear about the names of both the surviving twin and any babies who died

As neonatal units get bigger with more staff, it’s more challenging to provide continuity.

The Butterfly sticker acknowledges the twin that has died without having to say anything.