<p>Until 1994, the intensive care unit (ICU) at Hull Royal Infirmary offered no facility for bereaved family and friends to seek information and comfort following the death of their loved one. During the patient’s illness, a close relationship often develops between ICU staff and relatives. If the patient dies, this relationship is suddenly severed. When the family leaves the hospital for the last time, communication between them and ICU staff is usually lost. One family spoke of visiting the ICU daily for three weeks during their father’s illness. After his death they not only felt the loss of their father but also the support of the nursing staff.</p>