Information and advice following your bereavement

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This leaflet explains what happens following a death at a Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust community hospital. It will guide you through the procedures following a death and help you with the practical steps you will need to take over the coming few days or weeks.

Please accept our sincere sympathies for your loss. What happens next

The nurses at the community hospital ensure that the appropriate family member/s are informed of the death in accordance with the wishes of the deceased or family.

The nurses contact the hospital’s nominated funeral director to arrange the transfer of the deceased to a local chapel of rest. This usually takes place within three hours. The family will be informed which local funeral director will be caring for their relative on behalf of the hospital.

The deceased’s GP or hospital doctor is contacted and requested to complete the necessary paperwork. This is a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) and cremation forms if required.

Please note - You do not have to use the hospital's nominated funeral director to make your funeral arrangements. You should make your own decision on whom you appoint to arrange the funeral for you. Steps you may need to take

1. Confirm with the hospital to which funeral director your relative has been transferred.

2. The nursing staff will tell you which doctor will be issuing the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD). This may be a hospital doctor or the GP. The hospital or surgery will tell you where you can collect it from. Please let them know if the service is going to be a burial or cremation so that the relevant documents can be completed.

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3. Contact your chosen funeral director.

4. Attend the Registration Office (Registrar of Births, Deaths & Marriages) to register the death. Take the MCCD with you.

You are advised not to make any definite funeral arrangements or Registrar appointments until you have received the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. Community hospital contact telephone numbers

Bideford hospital (Elizabeth Ward) 01237 420218

Holsworthy 01409 253424

South Molton 01769 572164 Choice of funeral director

Funeral directors are valuable sources of information and advice and most are open seven days a week.

The choice of funeral director to whom your relative is transferred does not imply approval or recommendation by the hospital but a practical arrangement that ensures a good standard of care.

The hospital does not endorse any funeral director. This list of local funeral directors is provided for your convenience at this time. We stress that any inclusion of a particular funeral director in this booklet does not imply approval or recommendation by the Trust.

If you have chosen to use a funeral director they will be able to make arrangements to take the deceased into their care and transfer them to their Chapel of Rest.

B Baddick and Dymond Braunton 01271 812042 Braddicks & Sherborne Funeral Bideford 01237 477222 directors Ilfracombe 01271 865222 B J Baker Combe Martin 01271 882428 Bideford & District Funeral Service Bideford 01237 420900 Blackmore & Sons South Molton 01769 572338 Arthur W Bryant Bude 01288 352282 Barnstaple Co-operative Funeral Barnstaple 01271 314918 Service C W D Carne Winkleigh 01837 83387 L Clarke & Sons Braunton 01271 813526 D Dafforn & Son Torrington 01805 622263

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F J L Fulfords Hartland 01237 441256 G W S Gayton & Son Barnstaple 01271 342196 R Gist and Son Torrington 01805 622364 G F Gubbin Launceston 01566 785340 M Grigg Winkleigh 01805 804216 J A H Johns Clovelly 01237 431987 L Norman Lock & Son Black 01409 231281 Torrington M Morris Brothers Tavistock 01822 612023 P Padfields Funeral Service Barnstaple 01271 342024 William Pearce & Son Ilfracombe 01271 862242 R Vernon Rush Porlock 01643 862615 S T Sargent Bude 01288 361468 A G Simmonds & Son Barnstaple 01271 342774 J E Stacey & Co Funeral directors Holsworthy 01409 253555 Tony Sherborne Bideford 01237 423690 T Tamlyn Barnstaple 01271 850801 Trapnell & Sherborne Bideford 01237 472008 E J Trewin Bradworthy 01409 241529 W J Westacotts & Son South Molton 01769 572476 A D Williams Ilfracombe 01271 866332 Richard Williams Funeral Directors Northam 01237 423690

This list may not be exhaustive so you are advised to search for other funeral directors by the usual methods. Arranging the funeral

You do not need to wait until you have received the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death before contacting a funeral director. However, before any definite arrangements can be made, you are advised to wait until the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death has been completed.

If you are unsure of the wishes of the deceased regarding the funeral, you may find they have included this in their Will.

The provisional arrangements can only be finalised once the funeral director has received the certificate for burial or cremation (green form) which you will be given by the Registrar.

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The cost of a funeral can vary greatly so you may wish to ask for a brochure and price list to compare costs before making a decision.

If you receive state benefits you can apply for help to fund part of the cost of the funeral. You can pick up a SF200 – Funeral Payment from the Social Fund from the local Department for Work and Pensions office or local Job Centre Plus, or it can be downloaded from www.dwp.gov.uk Registering the death

Once you have received the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death from the hospital or funeral director, you can register the death. Usually this has to be done within five working days of the death. If the death was discussed with the Coroner, she will write directly to the Registration Office giving them authorisation to register the death. Please allow one to two working days for this to happen before contacting the Registration Office to check that they have heard from the Coroner.

You must make an appointment with a Registrar to register the death – please call 0345 155 1002 to arrange a time. This is a central number that allows you to book an appointment with Devon Registration Services at an office convenient to you. There are main offices at Barnstaple, Exeter, Exmouth, Honiton, Newton Abbot, Bideford, Tavistock, Tiverton and Totnes.

Please see the Devon County Council website for more details: http://new.devon.gov.uk/registrationservice/registrationoffices

Please note there is a limited service at some of these offices and you must make an appointment.

Who can register the death?

In order to register the death you must be either a relative of the deceased, have been present at the time of death or be the person making the funeral arrangements. The Registration service can advise you on their rules.

What happens at the meeting with the Registrar?

You need to give the Registrar the following information:

• Medical Certificate of Cause of Death

• The deceased’s medical card, birth and marriage certificate (if available) or NHS number (if available)

• If applicable, the reference number of any pension paid out of public funds (apart from the state retirement pension)

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The Registrar will talk to you in private about the person who has just died and you will need to know the following:

• The full names and surname (and maiden surname)

• The date and place of their death

• Their last permanent address

• The date and place of their birth

• Their previous occupation (or former occupation if retired)

• If married, the name, occupation, date and place of birth of their marriage partner

This information is entered into the Register. You will be required to read, check the entry and sign.

What will the Registrar give me?

1. Form BD8 for the Department for Work and Pensions (unless you have used the ‘Tell us Once’ service). If you would like to stop all State Pension or Benefit payments straight away or would like any advice, phone the Department for Work and Pensions customer service line 0845 6060 265

2. A certificate for burial or cremation (‘green form’).

This is for your funeral director and authorises them to make arrangements on your behalf.

3. You will need to get copies of the Death Certificate for a number of official purposes. We cannot say how many you will need as individual circumstances vary. As an example you may need copies for such things as insurance, premium bonds, bank accounts and private pensions. There is a fee for providing copies of the Death Certificate.

Please note that there is no free copy of the certificate.

The Registrar will offer you their “Tell us Once” service. They are able to pass on information about the person who has died to The Department for Work and Pensions and other agencies such as H.M. Revenue and Customs, Passport Office and DVLA. Paying last respects

If you wish to spend time with the deceased, please telephone the funeral director caring for your relative to arrange a convenient time for you to visit. Clothing and valuables

Any property belonging to the deceased can be collected from the ward or hospital office as arranged with nursing staff.

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If valuables are left in the safe at a hospital, they can only be collected during normal office hours. Please telephone the hospital to arrange a convenient time. Hospital chaplaincy and pastoral care service

The hospital chaplaincy team is here to support you and your family through this emotional time. This support is available for everyone and is not dependent on belonging to any faith group.

If you wish, you can be put you in touch with a minister of your own denomination or faith. The hospital chaplain can be contacted via the switchboard on 01271 322577.

Alternatively contact your community hospital who will be able to pass on their chaplain’s details.

Bideford hospital (Elizabeth Ward0 01237 420218

Holsworthy 01409 253424

South Molton 01769 572164 Letting people know about the death

People and organisations that may need to be informed of the death:

• Local Social Services if meals on wheels, home help, or day centre transport were used

• Any hospital the person was attending

• The family doctor (GP)

• The local Inland Revenue Office

• The local Department for Work and Pensions Office to cancel pensions, allowances, benefits etc

• Appointed solicitor and executors of the Will

• Any employer or trade union

• A child or young person’s teacher, employer or college should be informed if a parent, brother, sister, grandparent or close friend has died

• Car insurance and other insurance companies. People driving a car insured in the deceased’s name are not legally insured

• Local offices of gas, electricity and telephone providers, Royal Mail deliveries, local newsagents

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• If the deceased was receiving Housing Benefit/Council Tax or living in council property, the local Housing Department should be informed

• The landlord or mortgage company need to be informed depending on the deceased’s housing affairs

• Driver Vehicle and Licensing Agency (DVLA) in Swansea Further information and support

Items such as order books and giro cheques will have to be returned to the appropriate Social Security Office. Make a note of any pension book or order book/numbers before you send them back.

The deceased’s passport, driving licence, car registration documents, membership cards and National Insurance papers must all be returned to the relevant government offices.

Check for any library books that might need returning.

If there was any NHS or Social Services equipment being used by the deceased it will need to be returned. Contact the Community Equipment Service on 01392 678 533 to arrange collection.

Your doctor can help if you feel the need for medical support to help you through your bereavement. There is help available and you shouldn’t hesitate to contact your family doctor.

Help is also available from most local Church or faith groups: Pastoral support can be beneficial in helping anyone come to terms with loss, helplessness and grief experienced in bereavement. The Hospital Chaplaincy Service is available for everyone, to support you as appropriate.

Cruse Bereavement Care provides free practical and emotional support for anyone who has been bereaved. Helpful contacts

The Bereavement Support Office For practical advice North Devon District Hospital, Barnstaple, EX31 4JB Tel: 01271 322 404

Community Hospital Administrators Bideford 01237 420215 Holsworthy 01409 253424 South Molton 01769 572164

Spiritual Care (Chaplaincy) North Devon District Hospital Barnstaple, EX31 4JB Via the hospital switchboard 01271 322577

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Cruse Bereavement Care 0808 808 1677 www.cruse.org.uk

Cruse Bereavement Care in Devon 0300 330 5466 [email protected]

Samaritans 08457 909090 www.samaritans.org

Age UK 0800 169 2081 www.ageuk.org.uk

Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) 03444 111 444 www.citizensadvice.org.uk

PALS

The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) ensures that the NHS listens to patients, relatives, carers and friends, answers questions and resolves concerns as quickly as possible. If you have a query or concern call 01271 314090 or e-mail: [email protected]. You can also visit the PALS and Information Centre in person at North Devon District Hospital, Barnstaple. Alternatively, it may be possible for us to arrange an appointment in your area.

Have your say

Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust aims to provide high quality services. However, please tell us when something could be improved. If you have a comment or compliment about a service or treatment, please raise your comments with a member of the ward staff or the PALS team in the first instance.

‘Patient Opinion’ comments forms are on all wards or online at www.patientopinion.org.uk.

Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust Raleigh Park, Barnstaple Devon EX31 4JB Tel. 01271 322577 www.northdevonhealth.nhs.uk

© Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust This leaflet was designed by the Communications Department. Please contact 01271 311575 to help us improve our leaflets.

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