People who are Bereaved

72% of people have been bereaved in the last five years

Nearly a quarter of working age adults knew someone who has died over the last year

The UK Commission on Bereavement found that across England and Wales, 614,000 people died during 2020 and 2021, leaving an estimated three million people facing bereavement. This is 75,000 more deaths than the average across the previous five years – with an estimated additional 375,000 left bereaved.

Bereavement can have longer term consequences for a person’s mental and physical health.

It costs the UK economy an estimated £23bn a year in lost Gross Value Added (GVA) and costs the UK Treasury an estimated £8bn in reduced tax revenues, increased healthcare costs and income support payments

A parent of children under 18 dies every 22 minutes in the UK; around 23,600 a year. This equates to around 111 children being bereaved of a parent every day.

1 in 29 5-16 year olds has been bereaved of a parent or sibling – that’s a child in every average class.

In 2017 in the UK*:

• 5821 people died by suicide
• 3200 babies were stillborn – that’s around 9 babies every day
• 6,608 babies and children under 5 died – that’s more than 18 every day
• 869 school aged children (5-16 year-olds) died
• 7653 babies, children and young people (under the age of 18) died – that’s 21 every day

Carers are particularly impacted when the cared-for person dies. Carers Trust points out that for older carers:

• Many will have been caring for many years. Some will have given up work to care for a parent or partner and others will have been caring for an adult son or daughter for most of their adult life.
• The period when the caring role comes to an end because of the death of the person they care for is a particularly vulnerable time for the carer, who has to deal with both bereavement and the loss of a key role in their life. Carers report feeling a ‘void’ after the death that is linked, of course, to the bereavement but also quite clearly to the loss of their caring role.
  It takes time, effort and often external support to help rebuild a different life after caring.
• Often much of the contact that the carer has had with others has been related to their caring role (for example social care staff, medical appointments and paid Carer Support Workers) and so the former
  carer can easily become very isolated and struggle to re-engage socially.
• There is often a limited time post-bereavement when carers can access carers services
  and the full emotional effect of the loss can take some time to emerge.

The UK Commission on Bereavement’s 2022 summary report highlights the significant impact the pandemic has had on people who are grieving:

The UK Commission on Bereavement’s 2022 summary report makes 8 key recommendations:

1. I am supported by my family, my friends and the communities around me

2.I am sensitively supported by my school, college or workplace during my
bereavement

3.I am well supported during the death, and feel confident that the person who
died received appropriate and compassionate care

4.The things I must do after a death are simple and straightforward

5.I am compassionately and helpfully supported by those whose job brings them
into contact with me through my bereavement

6.I have access to an affordable and meaningful funeral

7.I feel secure in my home and have the right financial support

8.I can easily find and access the right emotional bereavement support for
my circumstances

About us – UK Commission on Bereavement (bereavementcommission.org.uk)

UK Death Statistics (childbereavementuk.org)

Manifesto-GE2019.pdf (nationalbereavementalliance.org.uk)

07240 – Bereavement in the workplace Report A4 20pp.indd (sueryder.org)

Suffolk Info Link – Grief and Loss – information about bereavement, and where you can get advice and support in Suffolk

Cruse Bereavement Care help people through one of the most painful times in life – with bereavement support, information and campaigning.

St Helena Hospice – offer bereavement support to all those who have been bereaved in north and mid Essex, regardless of the cause of death or when or where the individual has died.

At A Loss – Helping bereaved people find support and wellbeing