People who have lost a baby to miscarriage before 24 weeks of pregnancy will be able from Thursday to receive a certificate from the government recognising their grief.
Baby loss charities welcomed the move, which they hope will help bereaved parents manage the pain and trauma of their loss.
Parents in England who have lost a baby in such circumstances at any time since September 2018 will be able to request a new baby loss certificate through the gov.uk website from 9am on Thursday.
Millions of people could potentially apply for a certificate, experts said. The certificate will be an official but not legal document.
Victoria Atkins, the health and social care secretary, said: “Losing a baby can be a hugely traumatic event and the introduction of certificates to formally acknowledge the loss of a life is a positive step towards better supporting women and parents affected.”
The move means that the government will have finally delivered on its pledge to bring in the certificates, which it first made in July 2022 as part of its women’s health strategy.
Either parent of a baby who died before 24 weeks since September 2018 will be able to receive a certificate as long as they were living in England at the time and still do.
Ruth Bender Atik, the national director of the Miscarriage Association, said: “For many, if not most, people, even the earliest of losses can be deeply distressing, both emotionally and physically.
“It means the loss not only of this pregnancy but also of the hopes, plans and dreams that they had for this new life. And having no formal acknowledgement or marker of their loss can compound their grief.”
The certificates “will make a genuinely positive difference to many who have experienced pregnancy or baby loss, offering formal recognition of the tiniest of lives”, she added.
Samantha Collinge, the bereavement lead midwife at the George Eliot hospital trust in Nuneaton, and co-chair of the pregnancy loss review that the government commissioned in 2018, hailed the move as “a milestone moment for people who have suffered baby loss”.
“Miscarriage, and other types of pre-24 weeks baby loss, is often minimised and treated as a ‘clinical event’ or ‘just one of those things’ rather than the loss of a baby, and sadly the emotional impact of the loss is often disregarded”, she said.
Ministers hope to extend eligibility for the certificates to earlier than September 2018 as soon as they can.
Zoe Clark-Coates, the chief executive of the Mariposa Trust and other co-chair of the review, said: “I’m thrilled that from today millions of families will finally get the formal acknowledgement that their baby existed and I hope this will help their grieving process.”
Kate Brintworth, NHS England’s chief midwifery officer, said that almost all health service trusts should have a bereavement service available seven days a week by next month.
In Scotland, parents of a baby who died as a result of miscarriage can already apply to receive a certificate and ensure that their loss is recorded in the country’s memorial book.
