Bradford Royal Infirmary Bereavement Booklet

Coping with your Bereavement Bradford Teaching

Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a smoke free organisation. You are not permitted to smoke or use e-cigarettes in any of the hospital buildings or grounds.

If you need this information in another format or language, please ask a member of staff.

Coping with your

Bereavement

Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has provided this booklet to support you through what must be a sad and difficult time. Please accept our condolences on your sad loss and we hope the information provided helps you to cope with some of the formalities you may encounter following the loss of a loved one. The booklet also describes personal emotions that you may also experience.

Normal feelings and emotions experienced

Numbness - at first your mind may allow you to react only slowly to what has happened. It may seem unreal, like a dream, something that has not really happened. People often see this wrongly either as “being strong” or “uncaring”.

Sadness & tearfulness - for the loss of the person who died.

Memories - of feelings and events shared.

Anger - at what happened. - at the injustice of it. - at the lack of understanding by others. - Why me?

Guilt - regrets for things not done and feeling relieved that the suffering has ended.

Physical disturbances - tiredness, bad dreams, memory and concentration lapses, dizziness, palpitations, difficulty in breathing, nausea, muscular tension.

All these feelings are a normal response to bereavement. Some people may experience more emotions than others, but it is a part of the natural healing process. - 1 -

If, over a period of time, you are aware that there is no change or improvement in how you feel, do seek help. At the end of this booklet there are names of some organisations you may find helpful. Your own GP should also be able to put you in touch with someone who can help.

Spiritual and Religious Care

Bradford Royal Infirmary has a Chapel, located inside to the right of the Duckworth Lane entrance, and Muslim Prayer Facilities with ablution facilities under ward 22, which can be accessed outside the Duckworth Lane entrance near the pay and display ticket machine.

St Luke’s Hospital has a cross belief place of worship which is open during the day. However if it is not accessible, please contact the reception desk in Horton Wing.

These places of worship are open to anyone regardless of their belief. Hospital SPARC practitioners (formerly Chaplains) can be contacted to help you at this time and offer a ‘listening ear’ to all people. They can be contacted on 01274 365819 Monday to Friday from 8.00am – 4.00pm. Please do leave a message on the answerphone if calling outside these times, or ask a member of staff to contact them on your behalf. You may also wish to contact your own religious leader. If you don’t know who this is, your Funeral Director may advise you.

Bereavement Service

Please telephone the Bereavement Office on 01274 364477 between 10.00am and 11.00am the next working day to give your contact details. During this call you will be advised of the certificate and registration process.

People with hearing and speech difficulties

You can contact us using the Relay UK app. Textphone users will need to dial 18001 ahead of the number you wish to contact.

In order to register the death of your relative a medical certificate of cause of death (often called a MCCD) will be issued by a hospital doctor unless the death is reported to the Coroner (see page 8). The MCCD does not need to be collected from the hospital as it will be scanned to Bradford Register Office and you will be advised when to ring (01274) 432151 to make an appointment to register the death.

Personal Belongings

In most instances, personal belonging can be collected directly from the ward. However, if this is to be considered in the days after, personal belongings can be collected directly from the bereavement office. Please call the bereavement office between 8.00am – 4.00pm Monday to Friday to discuss this further.

Medical

This is an independent service provided in England and Wales to review all deaths that are not reported to the Coroner, to improve the quality of the information on death certificates and ensure bereaved families are at the centre of the process.

Medical Examiners (MEs) are senior NHS doctors and GPs who have chosen to carry out specialist training. They spend some of their time working as MEs. They and their staff (Medical Examiner Officers) are independent. They will only look at cases where they, or their staff, have not been involved in caring for the patient.

Process

An ME will look at the relevant medical records of your relative/ loved one to understand the circumstances around the cause of death. They will talk to the doctor who cared for them and will be filling in the certificate with the cause/s of death.

A member of the team will contact you to talk about the cause/s of death. You will have the chance to ask questions and talk about any concerns you may have about the cause/s of death or the care your loved one received. If they are unable to answer any of your questions, they will advise you regarding sources of additional support or information.

If there are parts of the care that could have been better, this information will be passed on to the service involved.

What if you do not wish to speak to the Medical Examiner or their team?

We understand this can be a difficult time for many people. Speaking to someone is your choice. The staff are trained professionals who can guide and help you during this time. If you prefer them to speak with someone else in your family this is acceptable.

Will this mean funeral plans or the release of the body take longer?

Medical Examiners make every effort to avoid any delays and work with relatives/loved ones of the deceased to enable death registration in a timely manner. Each case will be dealt with individually and when necessary, the team will support families with a request for the urgent release of their relative.

Faith deaths

The Medical Examiner service is sensitive to the needs of different faiths following death. They work closely with faith leaders to ensure they provide a service for all patients.

What can I do if I have questions or concerns about the Medical Examiner process?

If you are not satisfied with the Medical Examiner service we suggest you discuss this with staff from the Medical Examiner Office at first.

If you are still not satisfied, you can contact the Patient Experience team. They will listen to your concerns and ask the appropriate member of Trust staff to contact you to talk through and resolve your concerns as quickly as possible. Their contact details are on page 14 of this booklet. - 5 -

How can I contact the Medical Examiner Office?

The Medical Examiner Office is located at the Bradford Royal Infirmary.

The office is open Monday to Friday between 8.00am and 4.00pm (excluding Bank Holidays).

The Medical Examiner Office can be contacted on 01274 382581.

Facilities for people who are disabled or non English speaking

On request, there are facilities available such as assistive devices, minicom, British sign language interpreters and language interpreters. Please ask staff if you wish to use these facilities.

Funeral Directors

In all cases you may appoint a Funeral Director at your earliest convenience; the support and advice they are able to give you may greatly relieve your burden.

Prices may vary considerably between different companies and you may wish to obtain some quotations, to enable comparison, before you finally appoint.

The National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) and the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF) are regulatory bodies. They ensure that all of their members meet certain professional standards. Most of these establishments will have a place of rest where families may see their deceased relative again, if desired.

Telephone: 0121 711 1343

www.nafd.org.uk

Telephone: 01279 726777

www.saif.org.uk

Reporting a death to the Coroner

The death will be reported to the Coroner in all cases where

• the death is sudden and unexplained

• the cause of death is unknown

• the cause of death is unnatural (eg suicide, accident, poisoning)

• the death occurred during or soon after undergoing a medical procedure

• the death is caused by an industrial disease

Coroner or Hospital Post Mortem

A post mortem examination, also known as an autopsy, is carried out on the body after death. This may be by CT scan, or a surgical examination.

They help to:

• identify the cause of death

• confirm the nature of the illness if this is not already known

• identify conditions that may not have been diagnosed

• identify complications and side effects of treatments or drugs

• help plan future pregnancies in the case of stillbirth or neonatal death

A Coroner orders the majority of post mortem examinations in cases where the cause of death may be sudden or unexpected. The Coroner is required by law to do this and does not need permission from the relatives.

If the Coroner rules that a post mortem examination must be held, the hospital cannot issue the ‘Medical Certificate of Cause of Death’ needed to register the death. The certificate will be issued by the Coroner once the post mortem is completed. The Coroner’s Officer will inform you about any tissue and organs that are removed and will seek your consent about the method of disposal following completion of the examination.

If the Coroner decides that a post mortem examination is not necessary, the hospital will issue the ‘Medical Certificate of Cause of Death’. Please note that in all cases where the Coroner has been involved, a Coroner’s Officer will contact you for further information and advise you when registration of the death is possible. To allow time for the Coroner to sign off and send the necessary paperwork to the Register Office, you may be unable to register the death until 24 - 48 hours later. However, there is no reason for you to delay appointing a Funeral Director, as they will be able to further advise you.

Hospital post mortem examinations need the permission/ consent of a relative - you will be asked to sign a consent form following discussion with you about what is involved including whether or not organs will be removed and kept. A hospital post mortem examination is carried out where a Coroner’s post mortem examination is not needed, but when further information is needed about the cause of death - either for the benefit of you and your family or for future medical treatment.

In cases where the intention is to remove the body out of the country for funeral purposes, the Coroner’s Officer or Funeral Director should be notified before the necessary travel arrangements are made. Your Funeral Director can liaise with the Coroner’s Office to obtain the necessary paperwork to permit the body to be taken out of the country.

Tissue donation after death

Many families take some comfort in considering tissue donation after someone has died.

The gift of donating tissue such as corneas, heart valves, of a loved one. Tissues can be life saving and are certainly life changing in that they vastly improve a person’s quality of 24 hours of death and age and medical conditions are not a barrier to donation.

skin and bone is a choice for most families following the loss life. Most people can donate some tissue for transplant within

Our aim is to support families who wish to donate tissues or support loved one’s wishes to be a tissue donor following death.

If you feel that you would like to consider the option of tissue donation please inform the Bereavement Office or ward staff who will contact the tissue co-ordinator. The tissue co-ordinator will discuss in more detail the suitability and options available to you.

Biomedical researchers need different tissues to further their knowledge of disease and develop new treatments. It is possible to donate tissues after death for biomedical research and some tissues are only available from such donations.

If you think that you might like to help research in this way, please ask the Bereavement Office for more details. Please be assured that your relative will be treated with dignity and respect and only tissues that you have specified will be removed. Donation of tissues after death will not delay any funeral arrangements.

The Registrar

In normal circumstances the death must be registered within five days of its occurrence. The hospital will issue a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death which will be scanned directly to the Register Office to enable you to register.

If the hospital refers the death to the Coroner and the Coroner is going to issue the relevant documentation, this may cause a delay in registering the death as explained earlier.

The death can be registered at one of the following offices, but please note registration is by appointment only.

The Register Office City Hall

Centenary Square

Bradford BD1 1HY

Tel: 01274 432151

Mon-Fri 9:00am to 4:30pm

Saturday by appointment only

The Register Office Town Hall Bow Street Keighley Tel: 01274 432151 (Bradford Register Office)

The person who registers the death can be any one of the following:

• A relative of the deceased, who was present at the death.

• A relative of the deceased, who was in attendance during the illness.

• A relative residing or being in the District where death occurred.

• A person present at the death.

• The person dealing with the disposal of the body (not the Funeral Director).

When registering the death the following information will be required:

1. Full name of the deceased, along with any other names used, (and maiden surname if a married, in a civil partnership or widowed woman).

2. Date and place of birth and death.

3. Marital status.

4. The date of birth of any surviving widow, civil partner or widower.

5. Home address of the deceased.

6. Last occupation (even if retired).

7. Husband’s / wife’s / civil partner’s full name and occupation if married / widowed / in a civil partnership.

If

married

or in a civil partnership at the date of death

8. The date of birth of the surviving partner.

9. If deceased was in receipt of a government job pension –details of who with.

The Registrar will then issue a Green Certificate which will be required by the Funeral Director for cremation or burial and a Registration or Notification of Death Form (BD8), which is used for Social Security purposes.

Copies of death certificate may be obtained from the Registrar for around £11.00 each. More than one copy may be required for insurance, probate, friendly societies, private pension scheme, banks etc.

The informant should take to the appointment proof of identification for the deceased (i.e. birth certificate, marriage certificate, passport) and proof of identity for themself.

If available, the deceased’s medical card should be given to the Registrar.

Death by Declaration Procedure

It is possible to inform your nearest Register Office of your relative’s death providing the relevant documentation (i.e. the medical certificate or notification from the Coroner) is seen before the declaration is taken. The Register Office will not give you the certificate for the Funeral Director, nor any other certificates. These will be posted a few days later by the Registrar in the area where your relative died, who has registered the death. Please note that registering a death by declaration may cause delays for you in organising the funeral.

Concerns, comments or complaints

If you would like to discuss any issues or concerns relating to the overall care of the person who has died, it may be helpful in the first instance to raise this with the Patient Experience team. The Patient Experience team can be contacted on 01274 364021 or 01274 364810.

The Patient Experience team are available: Monday to Friday 9.00am to 4.00pm.

People with hearing and speech difficulties can contact us using the Relay UK app. Textphone users will need to dial 18001 ahead of the number you wish to contact.

If you have a more serious complaint and wish to receive a formal response, please write outlining your concerns to:

The Chief Executive

Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Chestnut House

Bradford Royal Infirmary

Duckworth Lane

Bradford BD9 6RJ

People to inform about the death

There will be many organisations and people to inform after a death. Please use the following as guidance to help you identify these as relevant to you.

Accountant

Bank / Building Society

Benefits agency

Bereavement Support Network (to remove name from mailing lists)

Church or other place of worship

Clubs and social groups

Council tax office

Credit card companies

Creditors (anyone owed money)

Debtors (anyone owing money)

Dentist

Doctor / GP

DVLA

- to return driving licence and cancel car tax

Electricity supplier

Employer

Gas supplier

Hire purchase / loan companies

Home help agency

Hospital (appointments are cancelled automatically)

Income tax office

Insurance companies (house, contents, car)

Internet provider

Landlord

Library

Life insurance provider

Local authority

Mortgage provider

Motoring breakdown provider

National insurance contributions

Optician

Passport office

Pension plans

Post Office to redirect mail

Premium bonds

Professional bodies

Private healthcare

Relatives and friends

Solicitor

TV licence

Telephone provider

Water supplier

Stopping Junk Mail to the recently deceased

If someone you know has died, the amount of unwanted marketing post being sent to them can be greatly reduced which helps to stop painful daily reminders.

By registering with the free service www.stopmail.co.uk the names and addresses of the deceased are removed from mailing lists, stopping most advertising mail within as little as six weeks. If you cannot access the internet you can call 0808 168 9607, where you will be asked for very simple information that will take only a few minutes to complete. Alternatively, ask the bereavement team for a leaflet that can be returned in the post.

This free of charge service provided by the Bereavement Support Network will actively reduce the unwanted marketing mail but also can help reduce the likelihood of identity theft following the death of someone close. The information is not used for any other purpose and you only have to complete this once. Additionally to Stop Mail a comparable service can also be accessed from the Bereavement Register or Deceased Preference Service if you would prefer to use them.

Deaths occurring in the Accident & Emergency Department

Your support nurse today is called

The Shift Leader today is called……………….......................................................................

They can be contacted in the Emergency Department (ED) on 01274 383353.

People with hearing and speech difficulties. You can contact us using the Relay UK app. Textphone users will need to dial 18001 ahead of the number you wish to contact.

Referral to the Coroner

Some deaths occurring in the Emergency Department, or in transit to the hospital, will be reported to the Coroner. The Coroner’s Officer or a uniformed police officer (acting on behalf of the Coroner) will attend at the hospital to see relatives.

The Coroner may decide that death was quite natural and will allow a doctor to issue a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. If not, the Coroner may ask a pathologist to examine the body by means of a post mortem examination, but this will not be done without the Coroner’s Officer discussing this with relatives first and explaining the process. Information about this will be given to you by the ED staff.

Once this examination is complete, you will be contacted by a representative from the Coroner’s Office. Relatives must be in possession of a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death before registration of the death can occur.

The Coroner may wish to hold an investigation of the circumstances leading to the death. This is called an inquest. If an inquest is called, the Coroner’s Officer will advise you of its time and place.

The staff in the Emergency Department will, at all times, respect your need for privacy, dignity, religious and cultural beliefs, and we will do our utmost to ensure that the needs of your loved one and yourselves are met wherever possible.

Further Help

Emotional Support

The following contacts can offer help:

Samaritans

Hope Park Workspaces, Trevor Foster Way, Bradford BD5 8HB

Tel: 116 123

You may telephone the Samaritans at any time day or night. This is a 24-hour service available 365 days a year.

You can call in without an appointment, between 11.00am and 10.00pm to speak with a Samaritan. However it is advisable, where possible, to telephone first. Your visit or telephone call will be private and treated with the strictest confidence on a first name basis only.

There are facilities for people from ethnic minority groups –each branch has a directory of people with language skills (although not necessarily from the local branch and not necessarily at that time).

There is an answer machine when busy and there are facilities for people from ethnic minority groups.

Cancer Support Yorkshire

Daisy House Farm, 44 Smith Lane, Bradford BD9 6DA

Tel: 01274 776688

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9.00am – 5.00pm www.cancersupportyorkshire.org.uk

Cruse (Bereavement Care)

PO Box 800, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1RG

Tel: 0808 808 1677

Opening hours: Monday – Thursday 9.30am - 3.00pm www.cruse.org.uk

Bradford Bereavement Support

University of Bradford, Phoenix South West Building, Off Shearbridge Road, Bradford BD7 1NX www.bradfordbereavement.org.uk

Established in 1984 by a group of volunteers, Bradford Bereavement Support has developed a team of voluntary counsellors who offer individual bereavement counselling.

Tel: 01274 619522 (if answer machine is in use – please leave a message).

Alternatively, you may ring 07946 131940 – Monday to Friday 9.30am – 1.30pm

Action against Victims of Medical Accidents (AVMA)

117 High Street, Croydon, Surrey CR0 1QG

Tel: 0345 123 2352

Email: advice@avma.org.uk www.avma.org.uk

Information and advice for people who believe they have suffered as a result of a medical accident.

Lesbian and Gay Bereavement Project (Switchboard)

PO Box 7324, London N1 9QS

Tel: 0800 0119 100 www.switchboard.lgbt

Hindu Cultural Society of Bradford 341 Leeds Road, Bradford BD3 9JY

Tel: 01274 395603 www.bradfordmandir.org

The Council for Mosques 6 Claremont, Bradford, BD7 1BQ

Tel: 01274 732479

Guru Nanak Sikh Temple

Prospect Hall, Wakefield Road, Bradford BD4 7DP

Tel: 01274 723557

Asian Family Counselling Service

Tel: 020 8574 0912 or 0121 454 1130

www.asianfamilycounselling.org

Financial Advice

Citizens Advice Bureau

Argus Chambers, Bradford, BD1 1HZ

Tel: 0808 278 7828

www.bradfordcab.com

www.citizensadvice.org.uk

Drop in advice times:

Monday 9.15am to 3.30pm

Tuesday 9.15am to 3.30pm

Thursday 9.15am to 3.30pm

Friday 9.15am to 3.30pm

Telephone advice times:

Monday to Friday 8.30am to 4.00pm

Social Worker

Please ask one of the nursing staff to contact the social work department for you.

Support for Bereaved Children

Family Action Bradford

Children and Loss Project

Kenburgh House, 28 Manor Row, Bradford BD1 4QU

Tel: 01274 651652

Offers support for bereaved children. www.family-action.org.uk

Winston’s Wish

Tel: 01242 515157

Helpline: 08088 020 021 www.winstonswish.org (for parents)

Hope Again (helpline for young people)

Freephone: 0808 808 1677

9.30am - 3.00pm Monday - Thursday

Email: hopeagain@cruse.org.uk www.hopeagain.org.uk

Child Bereavement Charity (CBC)

Tel: 0800 0288840

9.00am - 5.00pm Monday – Friday www.childbereavementuk.org

Death by Murder or Manslaughter

Support after Murder & Manslaughter (SAMM)

Tel: 0121 472 2912 www.samm.org.uk

Death by Suicide

Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (SOBS)

Tel: 0115 944 1117, helpline: 0300 111 5065

Monday - Wednesday 9.00am - 7.00pm

Email: email.support@uksobs.org www.uksobs.org

Death by Road Accident

RoadPeace

Helpline: 0800 160 1069

Email: helpline@roadpeace.org www.roadpeace.org

Other useful resources:

NHS Choices – includes practical information and emotional support following a bereavement. www.nhs.uk and search bereavement

Bereavement Support Network – offers advice and support with practical issues after a death (eg. probate and other legal procedures, money and tax issues).

Tel: 0808 168 9607 (freephone) www.bereavementadvice.co.uk

Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) www.dwp.gov.uk

Leaflet D49 ‘What to do after a death in England and Wales’ can be read online or obtained from your local Jobcentre Plus office.

Probate

Probate and Inheritance Tax

Helpline Tel: 0300 123 1072

Monday - Friday 9.00am – 5.00pm (calls charged at local rate)

Local Probate Office (Leeds): 0113 389 6133

www.gov.uk/applying-for-probate

National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD)

Tel: 0121 711 1343 www.nafd.org.uk

National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF)

Tel: 01279 726777

www.saif.org.uk

Author: Bereavement Services

Date: Jan 2011

Version: II

Review: March 2026

Published: March 2024

DONATE IN MEMORY

Giving a gift in memory of your loved one is a special way to celebrate their life.

Donating to Bradford Hospitals Charity offers a meaningful opportunity to contribute to the ongoing enhancement of local patient care and treatment. Your generosity can make a lasting impact on the future well-being of our community.

You can make a donation via our website www.bradfordhospitalscharity.org. Alternatively, contributions can be sent via cheque to: Bradford Hospitals Charity, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Trust Headquarters, Chestnut House, Gate 6 off Smith Lane Bradford BD9 5HY

Please include your contact details with your donation so that we may express our gratitude for your generous support. Should you require any assistance or have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us –Tel: 01274 274809 or via email at charity@bthft.nhs.uk.

For more information, please visit our website at www.bradfordhospitalscharity.org. Your thoughtful contribution honours the memory of your loved one in a meaningful and impactful way.

The Hospital would like to thank RNS Publications for publishing this information and the following pages contain some features from services o ering their help at this time.

Whilst the Hospital is grateful of their support it does not endorse or recommend any of the services that they provide.

�\\ bereavement ,�port network

stopping mail

STOPPING JUNK MAIL

It is distressing to deal with a bereavement and unsolicited mail can be insensitive and destructive during a grieving process.

By scanning the below QR code on your phone or visiting www.stopmail.co.uk, we are able to securely share this information with mailing organisations and under the Data Protection Act the information will not be used for any other purpose.

Other benefits reduce the possibility of identity fraud, such as assumed identity and you will only have to supply the information once.

This publication has been jointly developed between ourselves and the hospital. We hope that it has been or will be of help at this time and we welcome any comments or suggestions that you may have.

Please contact us either by phone, email or by post.

RNS Publications, Trium House, Unit 15, Broughton Way, Whitehills, Blackpool FY4 5QN