We cannot abandon bereaved families – we need a coronavirus helpline now

In recent weeks, the country has changed beyond recognition. One major new reality with which we are having to come to terms is death. Unlike diseases such as cancer, which often allow at least some time to be spent with dying loved ones, coronavirus can turn families’ lives upside down overnight.

In 2014, my father passed away in a hospice, 18 months after being diagnosed with cancer. At the time, the support provided to us by Macmillan was second to none. When he went into palliative care, we were referred to a Macmillan team in the hospital. With kindness and compassion, they took us every step of the way until the day my father died, and were there for us in the aftermath.

Thousands of families are currently being hit by a far more sudden tragedy, with loved ones becoming critically ill and dying without being able to hold them or be with them; or, due to social isolation, to hold or be with one another. The sense of helplessness, isolation and grief is being compounded without ways to reach out and get support. Coping with the emotional and practical repercussions of this loss will be even harder, when support services are already under strain. But the need for support and guidance and counselling is greater than ever – for partners, for children and for other family members.

That’s why, following discussions with my local health service and supported by many MPs and peers, I am calling for a new national 24-hour Covid-19 support line for families who have seriously ill or deceased loved ones.

This service could look similar to what Macmillan Cancer Support does for palliative care cancer patients. Such a service, to which individuals might be referred by hospital staff, could be a national helpline supplemented with local teams offering advice, counselling and signposting, everything from emotional support to guidance about memorials. The service could complement the work of hospital chaplains and faith groups, and be staffed by NHS nurses and psychiatrists. Intervention now may also help prevent greater mental health issues in Covid-19 families in the future.

If the crisis of the last few weeks has taught us anything, it is that we must remain one step ahead of coronavirus. I hope that the government will heed this call and set up a telephone service to respond to the challenges that lie ahead.

Seema Malhotra is the Labour and Co-operative Party MP for Feltham & Heston