Ms Paula O'Reilly:

Everyone today has spoken about the loss or death of someone and the grief it causes. We have talked about palliative care and the supports around that, but not the impact it has on others as regards bereavement. The process of grief does not start when a person dies. It starts when someone gets a terminal illness. The considerations of the committee, which has an incredibly difficult and complex issue to tackle, should include the wider community and how we support the people who are going on the end-of-life journey with someone, ensuring bereavement supports are available, such as supports for family carers and the wider community. We talk a lot about being a compassionate community so we need to look at what that looks like and how we can join the dots in the recommendations to the committee to ensure it is not only about the person's end of life, but also the wider family and community.