Bereavement Booklet
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Torbay and South Devon NHS NHS Foundation Trust Torbay Hospital Help for you following your bereavement Bereavement Office 01803 654818 Level 4 Reception Zone A Torbay and South Devon NHS NHS Foundation Trust Torbay Hospital Help for you following your bereavement Bereavement Office 01803 654818 Level 4 Reception Zone A Memories are the loveliest thing, They last from day to day, They can’t get lost; They don’t wear out, And can’t be given away.” (Anonymous) 1 Dear relative, carer or friend. The staff of South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust would like to express their sympathy to you and your family at this difficult time. The first week of bereavement can be a time of grief and sorrow but it is also a period in which a number of matters must be dealt with. We hope this booklet will provide you with some useful help during the early stages of your bereavement. 2 The following issues are covered in this booklet: What to do first - Collecting the death certificate Page 4 Organ donation page 5 Coroner’s Post Mortem page 6 Hospital Post Mortem page 6 Collecting Clothing and Valuables page 6 Paying your last respects page 6 Registering the death page 7 Who can register the death page 7 What to tell the Registrar page 7 What the Registrar will give you page 8 Arranging the funeral page 8 Burial or cremation page 9 The Hospital Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care Service page 9 Grief in Children and Adolescents page 10 Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) page 10 After the funeral page 11 Remembering page 11 Suggested list of who needs to be told of the death page 12 Suggested contact numbers for support and advice page 13 Directions to Registrar’s Office at Paignton Library, page 14 Great Western Road TQ4 5AG. Telephone 01803 207130 A page for your own notes page 15 Support Services page 16 Bereavement Office, Level 4 Reception, Torbay Hospital Telephone: 01803 654818 3 What to do first - Collecting the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) Providing there is no Coroner’s investigation, the Bereavement Office will provide you with a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD). This is not the official Death Certificate as you will obtain this when you register the death with the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages at Paignton Library, Great Western Road TQ4 5AG. Please contact the Bereavement Office after 10.00 am on 01803 654818 before coming to the hospital. The Bereavement Officer will book a time slot to collect the certificate. The office may be very busy after weekends and Bank Holidays. There is an answer phone if the office is busy. Please leave your contact name and telephone number and we will call you back as soon as possible. Please speak clearly. Opening hours: Monday to Friday Bereavement Officers: Marie Lewis Kim Palmer 4 Organ donation Many people will have made a decision, in life, about organ or tissue donation. Your loved one may have registered their wishes on the NHS Organ Donor Register, carried a Donor Card or discussed their thoughts with you. It is very possible that they can help others through donating tissue (eyes for corneal transplants and / or heart for valve transplants) following their death. The donation will not delay funeral plans as the procedure can be carried out quickly, within 24 hours of death for eyes and 48 hours for heart valves. Eye donation does not alter the appearance of the deceased. If you know their wishes about organ donation or would like to find out more, please contact any one of the following as soon as possible following the death: • The Eye Retrieval Team on 01392 406255. • The Donor Transplant Co-ordinators on 0300 123 1108 or 24 hour pager on 07659 591642. • The ward staff may also be able to assist you. Eyes: Eyes can help restore sight to people with cornea problems (the clear part of the eye). This may be a result of damage caused by eye disease or injury, or defects from birth, and the white part of the eye (the sclera) can be used in operations to rebuild the eye. Heart Valves: Heart valves can be transplanted to save the lives of children born with heart defects, and adults with damaged heart valves. 5 Coroner’s Post Mortem Occasionally, deaths have to be reported to the Coroner who decides if there should be a post mortem. If this is the case, there may be a delay before you can proceed, but the Coroner’s officers will advise you when you can register the death with the Registrar in Paignton. The Coroner’s office telephone number is: 01803 655205 or 01803 655255 Request for a Hospital Post Mortem The doctor who issued the MCCD may ask your permission for a post mortem examination to assist in medical knowledge and teaching. The post mortem will be explained to you and you will be asked to give your consent. If you agree, you will be asked to sign a form. The examination should not delay the funeral arrangements. Clothing and valuables Any property and valuables that you have not already received after the death may be collected when you come to the hospital for the MCCD. The Bereavement Office will advise you where to collect them. To collect any valuables from the cashiers you may be required to provide specific paperwork. To confirm what paperwork is required please contact the cashiers on 01803 656555. Last respects Please speak to your funeral director about arranging this for you. If the one who has died has not left the hospital you may wish to pay your last respects in the hospital’s Chapel of Rest. We recommend you contact the ward in the first instance and they will arrange this for you. The Bereavement Office can also help you and they can be contacted on 01803 654818. 6 Registering the death When you have received the MCCD from the Bereavement Office, you can then register the death. You must make an appointment to register the death. The Register Office telephone can be very busy sometimes - please be patient. The Register Office Paignton Library, Great Western Road, Paignton TQ4 5AG Telephone: 01803 207130 Fax: 01803 525388 Email: [email protected] (Directions are on page 14 of this leaflet) Who can register the death • A relative of the one who has died who was present at the time of death. • A relative who was in attendance during the last illness. • A person present at the time of death. • The person responsible for the funeral arrangements. You need to give the Registrar the following documents: • The Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) You will also need to give the Registrar: • The date and place of the death of the one who has died. • Their last (usual) address. • Their first names and surname (and maiden name if appropriate). • Their date and place of birth. • Their occupation (or former occupation if retired). • If the person was married, the name, occupation, and date and place of birth of their marriage partner. • Whether the person who has died was receiving a pension or allowance from public funds. 7 The Registrar will then give you: A Certificate for Burial or Cremation (also known as the Green Form) unless the Coroner has given you an Order for Burial or Certificate for Cremation to give to the Funeral Director. The Registrar will also discuss with you the process for informing the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). The ‘Tell us once’ service will be offered to you at the time of booking your registration appointment. You can also purchase certified copies of the Death Certificate for financial and other matters. We recommend that you obtain at least one copy and the Registrar will explain the cost of this to you. Arranging the Funeral Following a death it is important that you contact a Funeral Director as soon as you are able so they can start making preliminary arrangements for you. You can do this even before the MCCD has been issued. Funeral Directors are a valuable source of information for you and most Funeral Directors are available seven days a week. They can advise you on registering the death and other issues. Costs of funerals do vary and you may wish to ask for a brochure and price list or compare the costs before making a decision. A funeral can take place in the Funeral Director’s own Chapel. If you wish, the Funeral Director can organise the cremation without your attendance and this can reduce costs considerably. You may wish to organise things by yourself but please consider asking for help from relatives or a close and trusted friend. They will want to help and support you in any way they can. If you receive State Benefits you can apply for help in paying for funeral costs. You can obtain form SF200 (Funeral Payment 8 from the Social Fund) from your local Department of Work and Pensions Office or Job Centre Plus. Please check what costs the Social Fund will cover. Burial or Cremation Most Churches have set fees for burial. Your Funeral Director can advise you about this. Costs may be higher for someone who lived outside the Parish. Most non-denominational cemeteries are owned by either local authorities or private companies, so fees may vary. No-one can be cremated until the cause of death is known. There are certain forms you need to sign. Ashes can be scattered in the crematorium’s garden of remembrance or in a favourite place, with permission.