ABSTRACT
Staff may be so involved in responding to the grief reactions of the remaining patients that their own feelings go unrecognised. The sheer workload in some teams prevents staff exploring what they feel about the death of a patient. Staff need 'permission to cry'. Some health teams understand this and allow staff to show their feelings, but other teams cannot cope with such emotion, viewing it as 'unprofessional', 'letting the team down' or even seeing it as a weakness. Care staff usually perceive themselves as being able to make things better so may feel they have failed in this situation. Guilt may be the result. This in-built desire to 'fix things' can prevent staff from realising that, in reality, they made a difference by being with the patient and family, and that this was therapeutic and helpful. Closure is difficult in many health settings and it is not possible to achieve it with every death.
