A Guide for Bereaved Family and Friends
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NHS Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust Following a Bereavement A guide for bereaved family and friends Introduction The aim of this booklet is to provide you with some advice on the things you will need to do to deal with the administrative procedures involved with a death. We have also put in some details of individuals and groups who may be able to help you at this difficult time. May we extend our sincere condolences at this very difficult time. We do understand that making arrangements for a funeral can be sad and a little confusing. We would like to do all we can to make things a little easier for you. This booklet has been designed to give you all the information you need to make the necessary arrangements. Contents Subject Page First steps ............................................................................................................................................................................. 1 Who can offer me spport ...................................................................................................................................... 2 What must I do now ................................................................................................................................................... 3 Funeral directors ........................................................................................................................................................... 4 Tissue donation after death ............................................................................................................................... 5 Financial help and advice .................................................................................................................................... 5 HM Coroners .................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Post mortem examinations and Inquests ............................................................................................ 6 Coroners process flow chart ............................................................................................................................. 7 When and where do I register the death ......................................................................................8-11 Tell us once.............................................................................................................................................................12-13 Organisations offering help and support ..................................................................................14-15 East Surrey Hospital Patient Advice and liaison Service (PALS) .............................16 Information guide in other languages and large print ...........................................................17 The Surrey & Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust does not endorse any of the advertisements contained in this booklet. They are there for information purposes only. 1 Who can offer me support? General Practitioner / Family Doctor The GP/family doctor will be notified by the hospital in due course. You may wish to seek the help and support of your own GP. Hospital Chaplain The hospital chaplain is available to offer support and to meet with you by arrangement. Please do not hesitate to ask for a chaplain. We can also arrange to contact members and leaders from different faith groups in the community. 01737 768511 ext. 6120. Viewing appointments If you wish to view your loved one it’s advisable to make arrangements with your funeral director. However, viewing in the hospital mortuary can be booked by contacting the Bereavement Office. Appointments usually take place in the afternoon during weekdays and working hours. Viewing out of hours within the mortuary is not generally possible. Remembrance Service East Surrey Hospital holds a non-religious service for those who have been bereaved. If you would like to attend please call 01737 231626 where you will hear information about the next service. 2 What must I do now? Please telephone the Bereavement Office after 10:00am to provide the Bereavement Officer with your contact details to enable us to contact you over the next few days. The direct line telephone number for the Bereavement Office is01737 231718. The office is open Monday – Friday 10:00am to 4:00pm (except for public holidays). For telephone calls made outside office hours, please leave a message with a contact telephone number where we can reach you and we will return your call as soon as possible. The office arranges for the completion of the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. This is the certificate that you need to take to the Registrar to register the death. The medical certificate has to be completed by a doctor who attended the patient during their stay in hospital. The Bereavement Officer contacts the doctor and requests prompt completion of certificates to avoid unnecessary delays. However, hospital doctors are generally engaged on ward rounds and may not be available to attend to complete the necessary paperwork until later in the day. In some cases the doctor may have to notify the Coroner regarding the death. The Bereavement Officer will inform you if there is likely to be a delay. Please be advised that the Bereavement Officer may not know about potential problems when you contact the office. However, we will update you as soon as any potential delay becomes apparent. Once the doctor has completed the medical certificate one of our hospital Medical Examiners will call you to discuss the cause of death and explain any medical terminology. They will also ask if you were satisfied with the care your loved one received before and during their stay in the hospital, and ask if you have any other questions or concerns you would like to raise. The Medical Examiner is a consultant who would not have been involved in your loved one’s care so that they can have an independent discussion with you. Once you have spoken to the Medical Examiner the Bereavement Office will contact you to arrange collection of the medical certificate. 3 When the certificate is ready for you to collect you can either make an appointment to collect it from the Bereavement Office or you may prefer to collect it from the Main entrance. Collecting the certificate from the Main entrance saves you from having to find parking as you can simply pull up outside the Main entrance and collect the certificate from the receptionist. This also allows you to collect it anytime during the day and also over the weekend at your convenience. Further information will be given to you when you contact the Bereavement Office. The Bereavement Officer will also seek to obtain information from you regarding funeral arrangements. We appreciate that you may not have had time to consider these at this time but it is useful for us to know as soon as possible. This ensures all necessary paperwork is completed and no delays are caused in releasing your loved one to your chosen funeral director. To ensure you are not unnecessarily delayed, please do not attend the hospital until you have been informed the medical certificate has been completed. Please note that it is only possible to book an appointment with the Registrars once you have collected the certificate from the hospital. The bereavement office is located on the ground floor near the East entrance. For enquiries, please ask at the information desk situated to the right as you enter the East entrance of the hospital. Funeral directors Funeral directors will be able to advise you regarding all arrangements, including viewing appointments, cremation and burial options, funerals out of area and abroad. Please inform the funeral director if the Coroner is involved so that they can plan the funeral accordingly. When should I contact a funeral director? If you wish, you can start to make provisional arrangements before visiting the Registrar of Deaths. However, details can only be confirmed when you have given the “Green Form” (see page 9) to the funeral director. It is a matter of personal preference as to whether you contact the funeral director before or after registering the death. 4 Tissue donation after death Every year the lives of many people are saved with the help of organs donated before death occurs. However, you may not realise that donated tissue, such as eyes (corneas), skin, bone and heart valves can also save or dramatically improve the quality of life for others. Many people can be considered as donors. Tissue can be donated up to 24 - 48 hours after death and this would not delay funeral arrangements. People may have discussed donation with family or friends during their lifetime. They may have already registered as a donor or carried an organ donor card. However, it is possible for a family member to consent on behalf of the deceased, even if they were not previously registered as a donor. If you would like more information to consider tissue donation, please speak to a member of staff who will contact the tissue donation specialist nurse on your behalf, or if out of hours the site coordinator. There is a national number available 24 hours a day for advice 0800 432 0559. Financial Help and Advice Funerals are expensive although basic costs tend to be similar. However, the final cost can vary considerably. Do not be afraid to mention your budget or obtain estimates from several undertakers. Financial help may be available if you receive benefits or if the person who has died has no