Care for families who have lost a baby

Bereavement Services

If you have suffered a pregnancy loss from around 14 weeks onwards, or neonatal death, a dedicated and compassionate team will care for you.

Butterfly Suite

You will have access to support from a specialist Bereavement Team within the Butterfly Suite on Level 7 of the John Radcliffe Hospital Women's Centre.

If you have someone you would like to stay with you at this time, for example a partner or family member, we encourage this.

During your stay with us, we can provide information about funerals, registering your baby, post-mortem examinations and postnatal mental health support.

The Butterfly Suite is supported by charities such as 4Louis, which provides memory-making resources to us. We have facilities to take hand and footprints, casts and photos of your baby if you wish. We will discuss these options with you during your stay.

After your discharge from the Butterfly Suite, if you would like to come back to see your baby, please call the ward on 01865 221894 or the Bereavement Team between 8.00am and 4.00pm on 01865 227778 to arrange this. (They may need 24 hours' notice to arrange this for you.)

Rainbow Clinic

The term 'rainbow pregnancy' is used by many families to describe a pregnancy following a pregnancy loss or neonatal death.

The Rainbow Clinic is a specialist service for anyone who is expecting a baby, having previously experienced a loss over 20 weeks, a stillbirth, or neonatal death.

Our aim is to support you through your pregnancy and offer extra reassurance and support alongside your community midwife.

Your community midwife can refer you to the Rainbow Clinic at your booking appointment. The clinic is run weekly on Level 1 Outpatients in the Women's Centre at the John Radcliffe Hospital.

If you have any queries about this service, please contact Rainbow.clinic@oxnet.nhs.uk.

Banbury 'Ribbon Tree'

The quickest way to access the Ribbon Tree in the People's Park in Banbury is to find the Banbury Cross.

From there you walk up the Broughton Road out of Banbury on the right side of the road.

You will pass a pub called the Horse and Jockey. When you reach a car park you will find a pathway  that leads to the People's Park that runs along side it, passing the Chestnuts Bowls Club on the way.

At the end of this pathway there are some railings. Look to the left over the park to see the tree five metres from the railings.