Cannock Chase Hospital - Bereavement Book by bereavementadvice

NHS

The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust

Practical help following the death of a relative or friend

Cannock Chase Hospital

We would like to express our sincere condolences to you and your family at this sad time.

This booklet aims to provide some practical help and advice during the early days of your bereavement.

Please do not hesitate to ask questions if you are unclear about any matter, our staff will always be pleased to help.

Bereavement Service General Office Location A11 New Cross Hospital Wolverhampton WV10 0QP Tel: 01902 695091 (Fax: 01902 695061)

Opening hours: 9.00am - 4.30pm Monday - Friday (by appointment)

Contents What do I do next following a death at Cannock Hospital? ........... 1 Registering the death ............................................................................................................................. 2 What happens if the death takes place at the weekend or on a public holiday? ........................................................................................... 7 Viewing arrangements .......................................................................................................................... 8 Is there any bereavement care provided by the hospital? ............................................................................................................................................... 8 Referrals to the coroner ...................................................................................................................... 9 Clinical / consented post mortem ......................................................................................... 10 Organ and tissue donation ............................................................................................................. 11 Who can help me arrange the funeral? ....................................................................... 12 Financial advice .............................................................................................................................................. 13 Probate and legal advice .................................................................................................................. 13 Who needs to be told about the death? ..................................................................... 14 Sample letter ....................................................................................................................................................... 15 Stopping Junk Mail to the recently deceased .................................................... 16 Talking to children about death ................................................................................................ 17 Help and support ........................................................................................................................................... 18 Comments, queries and further assistance .......................................................... 18 Map - New Cross Hospital Bereavement Office ............................................ 19 Useful names, addresses and telephone numbers ................................... 20 Space for you to make notes ...................................................................................................... 24

What do I do next following a death at Cannock Hospital? You will need to contact the bereavement service the day following the death, if your loved one passed away over the weekend or a bank holiday, please call the next working day. Please contact the bereavement service based at New Cross Hospital between the hours of 10.00am - 4.00pm Monday - Friday on 01902 695091. The bereavement service will arrange for a doctor to prepare a Medical Certificate for Cause of Death (MCCD), the doctor may need to discuss the case with the Coroner which will cause a delay in the certificate being available. Bereavement staff will keep you updated on this. Further information about deaths that have been referred to the coroner are included on pages 9 and 10 of this booklet. We advise that you do not make an appointment to register the death until the bereavement service has confirmed that a certificate can be issued. Once a certificate is ready the bereavement service will contact you from New Cross Hospital.

Registering the death The death must be registered at the Registrar’s Office covering the district where the death occurred. This must be done within 5 working days of the death (excluding weekends and bank holidays). Prior to your appointment with the registrar you will be contacted by the Bereavement Officer. They will notify you that the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) has been completed and sent to the Registrar (this is not the death certificate, this will be issued by the Registrar at your appointment). Cannock Registrars will require an appointment to be made before you go. Appointments can be made by telephoning:0300 111 8001 Call centre open Monday to Friday 8.00am - 6.00pm, Saturday 9.00am - 5.00pm Please ensure that you have spoken to the Bereavement Officer before making an appointment. If the death has been referred to the Coroner the procedure is slightly different and the Bereavement Officer at the hospital will advise you about this. The death can only be registered by one of the following: • A relative of the deceased who was in attendance during the illness • A representative of the establishment in which the death occurred • A relative residing or being in the District where the death occurred

The Registrar will require the following details about the deceased: • the full name • marital status • date and place of birth, or birth certificate • occupation • age of surviving widow/widower Other documents relating to the deceased may be helpful and you should take them along if they are to hand: • Birth certificate • Marriage certificate (where applicable) • Medical card • Any pension details When you register the death, the Registrar will give you: • A green certificate which gives the authorisation for a burial or cremation. The Funeral Director or undertaker will require this form before he can complete the final arrangements. • A white form “Certificate of Registration of Death”. This is free and includes a full explanation of use. • The Death Certificate, for which there is a fee. Additional copies are also available for a fee. (presently this fee is £11 for each certificate issued). The Registrar will help you with any questions and will advise you on how many copies of the Death Certificate you will require for purposes such as probate.

For deaths occurring at Cannock Chase Hospital the Registrar’s address is: Cannock Registrar of Births and Deaths Cannock Chase Council Offices Beecroft Road Cannock WS11 1BG Tel: 0300 111 8001 Opening hours: Monday and Friday 9.00am - 4.00pm (by appointment only) excluding bank holidays.

Tell Us Once Service When someone has died, there are lots of things that need to be done at a time when you probably least feel like doing them. One of these is contacting government departments and local council services that need to be told. Staffordshire Councils are providing a service which they hope will make things easier. This service means that you can notify these agencies at the same time as registering the death. Before you register the death, the Bereavement Officer will tell you about your options for using the Tell Us Once service, and will book you an appropriate appointment. These are: • In person, when registering the death • By phone • Online To use Tell Us Once online, following your appointment with the Bereavement Officer and Registrar they will give you a unique Tell Us Once reference number, which you will need to log in.

What you will be asked The type of information you will be asked to provide about the person includes: • death certificate details - you get this when the death is registered • their National Insurance number • date of birth • details of any benefits and services they were getting You will also be asked for the name of the closest relative known as the ‘next of kin’. If you’re not the next of kin (or spouse/ partner), you must have permission from them before you give any information to the adviser. What happens next After you have used the Tell Us Once service, the relevant government departments and services will be contacted on your behalf. Depending on your circumstances these may include: • Adult Services (social care for adults) • Children’s Services • Council Housing • Council Tax Office • Disability and Careers Service • DVLA (driving licence agency) • HM Revenues and Customs (for Child Benefit, Tax Credits and personal taxation) • Passport Service • Pension Service The information you give to the adviser is only passed on to the government departments that need to know.

What happens if the death takes place at the weekend or on a public holiday? Sometimes there are unavoidable delays in the issuing of the MCCD as detailed below. In these circumstances the person’s body cannot be released immediately, and a delay is unavoidable. The main causes of such delays are: 1. When a death occurs ‘out of hours’ the issuing of the MCCD may be delayed, possible examples could be: • From Friday afternoon to Monday morning • on a public holiday We will endeavour at all times to assist in the fulfilling of any particular religious requirements you may have in relation to funeral practices. If you need to proceed quickly the bereavement staff will advise you regarding this. During out of hours you will need to speak to the Ward Sister where your relative died. 2. Where there are legal reasons for a delay; some of these reasons are explained in the section headed ‘referrals to the coroner’. 3. When the funeral is to take place outside of England or Wales an ‘Out of England’ order will need to be issued to you by the coroner before proceeding. A ‘Free from Infection’ certificate must be issued by the hospital prior to transportation. Your funeral director can arrange this. The body of the deceased person cannot be released from the hospital until you have been given the green or yellow certificate or the coroner’s white certificate. Please give this certificate to the funeral director.

Viewing arrangements This is a very personal decision. If you would like to view your relative whilst they are still in our care, please contact the Bereavement Officer so that an appointment can be arranged for you to visit them. Many families prefer to wait until the deceased is in the care of their chosen funeral director. Some people prefer not to view and to remember their relative the way they were. The decision is entirely yours.

Is there any bereavement care provided by the hospital? Our hospital chaplaincy service which is a multi-faith department is able to provide pastoral, spiritual and religious care for patients and their relatives. If you wish to speak to one of our Chaplains they can be contacted on 01902 695098. The bereavement service are available to provide you with practical advice during the early days of your bereavement. We can also help to signpost you to find appropriate on-going support from a wide variety of local organisations including voluntary organisations, support groups and groups within churches and faith communities.

Referrals to the coroner A death may have to be reported to the coroner for legal reasons and the hospital staff will advise you if this has to happen. This is usually when a doctor is unable to issue a MCCD. The coroner is appointed to investigate certain types of death. A death will be referred to the coroner if: • • • • •

no precise cause of death can be established death follows an operation, or if it is possible that it could be due to a complication of surgery or anaesthesia death is not thought to be from natural causes death is due to an injury or a fall, however it happened death takes place within 24 hours of admission to hospital

There are other cases where a death must be referred to the coroner, for example, death from industrial diseases, poisoning, suicide and murder. The coroner’s office will be able to help you and give you any advice. If the death has to be reported to the coroner you can still contact the funeral director of your choice to start making the arrangements for the funeral, but you should tell the funeral director that the death has been reported to the coroner to keep any delay in the funeral arrangements to a minimum. You will need to wait to hear from the coroner’s officer before registering the death. If there is to be a post mortem, the coroner’s officer will explain the procedure to you and advise you when it is appropriate to register the death. 9

The coroners officer can be contacted and located at:HM Coroner for South Staffordshire is: Mr. Haigh esq. HM Coroner’s Office No.1 Staffordshire Place Stafford ST16 2LP Telephone: 01785 276127 (Coroners Office) Telephone: 01785 234107 (Coroners Office Stafford Area) Telephone: 01785 234231 (Coroners Office Cannock Area) Opening hours: Monday - Friday: 9.00am - 5.00pm

Clinical / consented post mortem In contrast to the coroner’s post-mortems, clinically requested post-mortem examinations are not undertaken to establish the cause of death as this should be known and certified by a clinician prior to the procedure - therefore the MCCD will have been issued. The aims of a clinical post-mortem examination are to enable information and explanations to be provided to bereaved families and their doctors; audit of new and established medical, surgical and investigative procedures and their complications; audit of disease treatment; historical study of diseases and the benefits of adverse effects of treatment; accurate and mortality and morbidity statistics; and teaching / training of medical students, doctors and other healthcare professionals. The fact that a clinically requested post-mortem is taken place will not affect the registration process which can continue as usual as the MCCD will have been issued.

Organ and tissue donation If the deceased carried a donor card or had expressed a wish in life to donate organs or tissues after their death, we would like to ensure that their wishes are fulfilled. Many people find it comforting that something positive can happen from a very sad and difficult loss. Organ donation happens in special circumstances; usually when someone dies in the intensive care unit and also sometimes in the Emergency Department. Only a very small number of people will meet this criteria required for organ donation. This is because organs have to be removed very quickly after someone has died by a specialist team of Surgeons to enable organs to be suitable for transplant. However, many people can donate tissues such as the corneas (eyes), heart valves and skin and bone, which can be removed up to 24 hours after death. Tissue donation helps transform the lives of thousands of people each year. If this is something that you would like to consider, please contact: 0800 432 0559 for further advice and support. This is an answering service, so please leave your name and full telephone number and a Nurse Practitioner will return your call.

Who can help me arrange the funeral? You do not have to wait until the death has been registered, you can contact a funeral director at any point, including weekends. Your chosen funeral director can make all the necessary arrangements and can also advise you on all the procedures and documents you will need as well as the timing of the funeral service. They will come to your house if you prefer. They will answer any questions you may have on burial or cremation. Your own minister, priest or religious leader and the hospital chaplaincy service may also be of help during this difficult time. Most funeral directors belong to their national association, which has regulations and standards that must be followed. The person who arranges the funeral is usually responsible for meeting the costs. This can come from the deceased’s estate or any funeral scheme he / she may have subscribed to. Funerals can be 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 funeral directors.

Financial advice Financial help may be available if you receive certain benefits. Contact the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) before making any arrangements. Enquiries about financial assistance can be made by calling: 0800 731 0469. If you are in receipt of certain state benefits the bereavement service will give you a leaflet issued by the Department of Work and Pensions - this will explain fully any financial assistance you may be able to access.

Probate and legal advice If you have difficulty in dealing with the deceased’s property, possessions or guardianship of their children, seek advice from a solicitor or the Citizens Advice Bureau as soon as possible. If there is no Will, speaking with a solicitor may be helpful. Many solicitors are prepared to offer up to half an hour free legal advice. Probate is a document issued by the probate registry confirming that an executor has the right to wind up the estate of the person who has died. The ‘estate’ is the house, money and savings left by someone who has died (probate may not be necessary if the estate is small). If you need any further advice on probate please contact HMRC Probate and Inheritance Tax helpline on 0300 123 1072 or use this link: https://www.gov.uk/wills-probate-inheritance.

Who needs to be told about the death? You will probably want to let family, friends and neighbours know of the death right away. There are several other people who may also need to know. These are: • Priest, vicar, minister or faith leader • Family doctor • Dept of Work & Pensions (pensions, benefits etc) • Bank, giro, credit cards, building society • Social Services (home helps, home care) • School, college or university attended • Place of work (occupational pension) • Executors of the estate (Will) • Solicitor • Insurance companies • Library service • Inland Revenue • Residential or nursing home • Landlord, housing department • Council tax offices • Electricity, gas, telephone, water • Post Office (redirect mail) • Driving licence centre (DVLA) • Careline • Cancel any appointments (hospital, optician etc) • Return of any specialist equipment on loan to the deceased The deceased may have been living alone so you will need to ensure that their home is secure and remove all signs that indicate no-one is there. You may wish to collect spare keys from other relatives, friends and neighbours. 14

Sample letter Here is an example of a letter that you may find useful when informing people about the death: (Your name) (Your address) (Your postal code) (Your telephone number) Date Name to whom you are writing: (Department) (Company) (Road) (City) (Postal Code) Dear Sir / Madam, I am writing to inform you of the death of (name of deceased and date of birth). Please find enclosed with this letter the documents / papers which need to be returned to you. (Name of deceased) died at (hospital name or home address) on (date). If you require any further information please contact me at the above address. Yours faithfully, (Your name)

Please note if you are writing to a solicitor, bank, building society or insurance company, they may ask for a copy of the death certificate. Photocopies are not accepted for insurance or legal reasons. You may need to include the relevant account and policy numbers if available. 15

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.

Talking to children about death As adults we feel the need to protect our children from things that we think they might find difficult. It is easy to assume children will not understand death and bereavement, or that it will be too upsetting for them. However, we can often underestimate a child’s ability to cope. Like adults, children find it harder to cope if they are not told what is happening and can be more frightened by their own imagination. Children should be told facts in a simple manner, using appropriate words, eg: died, rather than lost or asleep. Give them plenty of time to ask questions and offer plenty of love and reassurance. It is helpful for adults to share feelings with children, such as feelings of sadness. By doing so they learn that it is natural to feel sad when someone dies. Children often like to draw pictures or write stories as part of their way of saying goodbye.

Help and support People do not always find it easy to talk about death. You may feel that you cannot show your emotions or are expected to put on a brave face. However, talking about your feelings often helps. We can provide a list of contact numbers of various organisations to offer you support. Do try to look after yourself and take extra care. Do allow time to grieve as this is an important part of your future well-being.

Comments, queries and further assistance It is hoped that the information contained within this booklet will be of assistance to you, but if there is any point or problem that you may experience, which is not covered - please ask, we would very much like to help you. We are determined to provide the best possible service to patients and other visitors to the Trust and welcome all comments on our service, whether good or bad, so that we can act on these comments to continue to improve the service we provide. If you have any comments on the service you have experienced, you can make your comments to the person in charge of the ward / department, alternatively the Patient Advice and Liaison team (PALS) at the hospital can provide assistance if you have cause for concern, compliments or suggestions regarding the care of your loved one or your family. Their telephone number is 01902 695362.

New Cross Hospital Bereavement Office NHS

Entrance 2

The Royal Wolverhampton

(Prestwood Road)

NHS Trust

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Bereavement Centre Location C51 (First Floor)

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West Car Park

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Heart and ZONE B

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East Entrance

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Lung Centre

Emergency Department

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Swan Suite Location B21

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East Car Park

South Entrance

ZONE D P5

KEY Emergency Department Main Entrances Corridors Buildings

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Entrance

Car Parks Blue Badge Parking

1 - Main Entrance

Bus Stop Coin operated wheel chairs

(Wolverhampton Road)

Cafe / Restaurant

Useful names, addresses and telephone numbers There are a number of organisations who will be able to offer you help, should you require it. These include: Information is also available on the Internet. Bereavement Loss Support Service This office covers Stafford, and surrounding area. 150 Weston Road, Stafford, ST16 3RS Tel: 07828 263554 Opening hours: Monday to Friday 10.00am - 12.00noon An answer phone service is available outside these hours. Cruse - An organisation for the bereaved. South Staffordshire Branch

Tel: 01543 433479

National Helpline

Tel: 0808 808 1677

Young people between the age of 12 and 18 can call a free phone number Tel: 0808 808 1677 Bereaved by Suicide National Helpline

Tel: 0300 111 5065

The Compassionate Friends An international organisation of bereaved parents offering friendship and understanding to other bereaved parents. Kilburn Grange, Priory Park Road, London NW6 7UJ National Helpline

Tel: 0345 123 2304

Citizen’s Advice Bureau - Free information and advice. •

Cannock Office Civic Centre, 28 Beecroft Road Cannock, WS11 1BG

Tel: 03444 111 444

Opening hours: Pre-Booked Appointments Only - Monday to Thursday - As arranged General Advice Drop-in - Monday - 10.00am - 14.30pm •

Rugeley Office 7 Brook Square Rugeley, WS15 2DU

Tel: 03444 111 444

Opening hours: Pre-Booked Appointments Only - Monday - As arranged General Advice Drop-in - Tuesday 10.00am -12.30pm and 13.00pm - 14.30pm •

Stone Office Stone Town Council Offices, 15 Station Road, Stone, ST15 8JP

Tel: 03444 111 444

Opening hours: Wednesday 10.00am - 12.30pm and 1.00pm - 2.30pm

Hospital Social Workers For an appointment contact the appropriate social worker secretary •

Cannock Wellbeing Enablement Team

Samaritans 24 hour confidential counselling service for people in distress Garden Street, Stafford, ST17 4DD Tel: 116 123 SANDS Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society. Local contacts SANDS, 10 - 18 Union Street, London, SE1 1SZ National Helpline

Tel: 0808 164 3332

The Lullaby Trust National Helpline

Tel: 0808 802 6868

Staffordshire Buddies

Tel: 01782 201251

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9.00am - 5.00pm

Taxi Services Telephone numbers for taxi firms operating around Cannock can be obtained from the hospital reception. Social Services Department •

Staffordshire Cares staffordshirecares@staffordshire.org.uk

Tel: 0300 111 8010

Social Security Benefits enquiry line

Tel: 0800 731 0469

The Pensions Service - Local Area

Tel: 0800 731 0469

The Pension Service, Post Handling Site A, Wolverhampton, WV98 1AF Opening hours: Monday - Friday 8.00am - 6.00pm

Reference: Cannock Chase Hospital Bereavement Booklet Publication date: December 2023 Review date: December 2025

The Hospital would like to thank RNS Publications for publishing this information and the following pages contain some features from services offering 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.