Health and Social Care Minister Lawrie Hooper has confirmed that Manx Care is looking to introduce a ‘baby loss certificate’ scheme in the island.

Asked whether the island would introduce a system of this kind during Tuesday’s House of Keys sitting, Mr Hooper referred to a voluntary scheme that’s been launched in the UK.

He said: ‘The UK Government has recently launched a voluntary scheme which allows parents to record and receive a certificate to provide recognition of the loss of their baby.

‘The certificate is available for either parents to access following a loss under 24 weeks, and the scheme in England went live on February 22 this year.’

According to the Isle of Man Government website, in the UK and the island one in four pregnancies end in a miscarriage, while the figure for stillbirths in the UK is approximately one in 200.

Discussing how Manx Care intends to follow the UK’s lead, Mr Hooper said: ‘Following the launch of this scheme, Manx Care’s lead midwife of bereavement care has made enquiries about introducing a similar scheme for Manx residents.

‘A meeting was scheduled on March 8 with a local charity that supports families who want a baby, to gain their feedback and expectations around baby loss certificates.

‘Following this, Manx Care plan to have further meetings with the Isle of Man Registrar to discuss and explore the possibility of implementing a similar scheme on the island for Manx residents.

‘Until an official scheme can be introduced, Manx Care maternity services will continue to offer parents the option of a commemorative certificate of birth in the event of a stillbirth.

‘This is available from the “Stillbirth and Neonatal Deaths Society” website.’