The number of people bereaved due to the Covid-19 pandemic is a major health and social care concern. At a time of unprecedented demand on acute and critical care services, restricted family presence to reduce transmission of the disease had a profound impact on the way bereavement support could be provided in the hospital setting. In response, relatively rapid adaptions to practices were required. This paper provides inspiration and guidance on an acute hospital initiative designed to address the emotional needs of the immediately bereaved. The core features of a supported viewing service are presented through the lens of key employees who played a central role in its development and delivery, and with reference to the prevailing literature. Formal evaluation of the service through qualitative inquiry is recommended, complementary to anecdotal evidence of appreciative uptake of the service during the pandemic.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.