Cruse Bereavement Care

I read with interest McDonnell and colleagues’ article about dealing with parents bereaved by suicide,¹ and Hamilton’s article in the same issue.² I wonder why GPs do not make better use of Cruse? Cruse Bereavement Care is a national charity that offers help to anyone who has been bereaved, including ‘complicated bereavements’ and ‘complicated grief’, such as by suicide or sudden traumatic death. The bereavement volunteers undergo intensive initial selection and training, and continue to have ongoing training and supervision, to a highly professional level. They can offer help to clients either one-to-one or in groups. The clients’ evaluations show that they feel their mental and physical health improve as a result of this contact. Clients refer themselves, but are often advised by their GPs to do so: in our area half say they have been advised by their GP to contact us.

With the difficulties GPs are experiencing with such pressure on their time, and also the lack of confidence in dealing with these issues, it would seem logical for CCGs to be working with Cruse to provide the service the bereaved deserve and need.