Place referred to | GP practices who referred to this service (85 practices) (n) | GP practices who advised self-referring (85 practices) (n) | Details (total number of CCGs in the region=11, total number of CCGs with at least one GP practice responding=9) | Is specific bereavement support provided? | Waiting time (range and average) | Referrals in 2018 (n) | Referral criteria |
‘None’ | 18 (21%) | 1 (1%) | GP practices from seven different CCGs | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
No response | 14 (16%) | 6 (7%) | GP practices from four different CCGs | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Hospice | 15 (18%) | 11 (13%) | Most common service GP practices reported referring to, from across all responding CCGs (nine CCGs) Further information received from eight hospices One additional hospice had closed since the time of initial survey | Yes | Range 7–112 days Average 54.4 days | Range 81–447 referrals Average 355 in 2018 | Bereaved adults. One hospice provided support to children Three services required a prior connection to the hospice |
CRUSE | 12 (14%) | 51 (60%) | Most common place to advise self-referral to, GP practices from eight different CCGs | Yes | 6–8 weeks | 1522 in 9 months | Any bereaved person |
MIND | 11 (13%) | 4 (5%) | Referrals from three different CCGs seven branches in the region, 2/7 offering bereavement support 5/7 offered non-specific support *Information from services offering bereavement specific support | *Depends on locality (two areas yes, five areas no) | Range 1–12 weeks* | Range from 174 to 407* | Any bereaved person in the area over the age of 11* |
Macmillan | 7 (8%) | 4 (5%) | Multiple different services available depending on the locality. GP practices from five different CCGs | Yes | No further information | No further information | No further information |
GP Practice Counsellor | 7 (8%) | 0 (0%) | GP practices from two different CCGs had their own practice counsellors for support | Not known | No further information | No further information | No further information |
Improved Access to Psychological Therapies | 11 (13%) | 22 (26%) | Responses from eight different CCGS None offer bereavement specific support | No | No further information | No further information | No further information |
Sunderland Counselling Service | 2 (2%) | 2 (2%) | Bereavement support group and counselling services Local service so responses from one CCG | Yes | 12.4 days | 524 | Bereaved adults over 18 years old who live and have a GP in Sunderland |
Other | 12 (14%) | 15 (18%) | GPs from six CCGS. 19 different services, each referred to by only one practice each *2 replies—neither service was bereavement specific but one offered a bereavement support group | *See previous | *1–10 days | Not given | *Live in local area |
Total | 17 services | 24 services |
CRUSE, a national bereavement charity; MIND, a national mental health charity; Improved Access to Psychological Therapies, a national NHS initiative; Macmillan, a national cancer charity.
CCG, Clinical Commissioning Group; GP, general practitioner.