County Durham and Darlington
A message from the Chief Executive
This is always a time of great sadness and I would like to take this opportunity to offer my sincere condolences to you and your family.
This booklet aims to provide you with useful, practical help with the formalities and some insight into grief.
If there is anything you would like to discuss, or if we may assist you in any way, please contact the ward or department staff and they will endeavour to help.
Bereavement Liaison Services
The Bereavement Offices can be contacted across the Trust on:-
University Hospital of North Durham 0191 333 2683
0734 207 3605
Darlington Memorial Hospital 01325 743 656
0734 207 3592
The offices are open for telephone and face to face appointments Monday to Friday 9.00am - 4.00pm. Please note that the offices are closed on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays.
The phone lines are answered from 10.00am onwards, however there is an answerphone service out of hours.
Is there any Bereavement Care provided by the Hospital?
Hospital Chaplains
The Chaplains are full members of the trust workforce and are available to offer you support - it doesn’t matter whether you are a person of faith or not.
We make our best efforts to visit everyone in the hospital who we know is dying but our care continues after death.
We can offer you pastoral support through this difficult and stressful time – primarily by listening and helping you to think through the things which are most worrying you or causing you anxiety – but also by “signposting” to other services which may be able to offer specific help.
Our chaplains come from the Roman Catholic, Church of England, Methodist, Baptist and Muslim traditions, and we have a Chaplain who works specifically with people of no faith. We can also contact the ministers or leaders of other faiths.
There is a chapel in each of our main hospitals. The Chapel is a “safe space” where you can be quiet, reflect, or pray if you wish. The staff will give you directions to the chapel if you ask them.
The chaplains provide a 24/7 service. Staff can contact the chaplain on duty through the hospital switchboard at any time. To contact them directly yourself, during normal working hours, please telephone as follows:
Darlington Memorial Hospital: 01325 743029
University Hospital North Durham: 0191 3332183
Bishop Auckland Hospital: 01388 455451
Chester Le Street, Shotley Bridge and Weardale Hospitals: 0191 3332183
Sedgefield and Barnard Castle Hospitals: 01388 455451
Out of hours ward staff can contact Chaplains on your behalf via the hospital switchboard.
What to do first
We hope that ward staff will have answered any questions you may have. You will also be contacted by a Medical Examiner; this is an independent experienced doctor who will have read and evaluated the medical notes and care provided. They will be able to help you with questions relating to the medical care and Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. If you have further questions please contact the ward or relevant Bereavement Office.
You may feel that it would help to talk to a Chaplain or some other person who can give spiritual or personal support. The ward staff will be pleased to arrange this.
The Bereavement Office are there to advise you about the documents you will require. The Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death will be issued via the Bereavement Office once completed by the doctor.
You will be informed by the Bereavement Office when the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death has been completed. Sometimes certificates may take a number of days to complete. It is understandable that you may be feeling worried at this time, so you are more than welcome to contact the Bereavement Support Officers directly for information and help.
It would be useful at this time, if you are aware of the Funeral Director you have chosen, to inform Bereavement Office staff and whether you have chosen burial or cremation.
Occasionally there may be a delay if the doctor concerned is not available.
You will need to contact a Funeral Director so that the deceased can be removed from the hospital and the funeral arrangements made. Details of local Funeral Directors are given in this booklet. You can also find local funeral directors on the internet and local newspapers. You do not have to wait to have the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death before you contact the Funeral Director, but you need to inform them if the death is not registered.
In certain circumstances the doctor may have to notify the Coroners Office. More details of the work of the Coroners Office are given in this booklet. Even if the death is referred to the Coroner you can still notify the Funeral Director.
Bereavement Covid-19
Due to unprecedented circumstances because of the Covid-19 pandemic, some of the information within this booklet will not apply.
Please note the changes due to Covid-19 below:
• The Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) will not be issued to you, but scanned and sent directly to the Registrar’s Office by the Bereavement Team.
• The Bereavement Team will contact you and provide you with the relevant details for you to make a telephone or face to face appointment with the Registrar, the appointment options will be issued Covid-19 dependent at the time of registration.
• The appropriate forms will be sent to the Funeral Directors you have chosen, directly from the Registrar’s Office.
• Personal items of the deceased can be collected from the ward.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us on:
• 01325 743656 (Darlington Memorial Hospital)
• 0191 333 2683 (University Hospital of North Durham)
The Registrar will ask you the following questions about the person who has died:
• The date and place of death
• The deceased’s last (usual) address
• The deceased’s first name and surname (and maiden name if applicable)
• The deceased’s date and place of birth
• The deceased’s occupation and the name and occupation of husband/partner (if applicable)
• Whether the deceased was receiving a pension or allowance from public funds
• If the deceased was married, or had a civil partnership the date of birth of the surviving widow, widower or partner
The Registrar will then provide you with the Death Certificate, for which there is a cost involved for each Death Certificate purchased. You will need the certificate for a variety of other purposes to administer the deceased’s affairs.
The Registrar will also give you either an Order for Burial or Certificate for Cremation (known as “the green form”) depending on whether burial or cremation is to take place.
You will also be given a Certificate of Registration of Death which is for Social Security purposes only. This applies to all deaths of all ages, as it is a legal requirement.
If the Coroner is involved his/her officer will give you a certificate so that the funeral can be held.
Coroner
If the death has been reported to the Coroner:
There are a number of circumstances when, legally, a death has to be reported by the hospital doctor to the Coroner. The Bereavement Liaison Office will advise you if this has been done. The Coroner’s Officer will then get in touch with you to explain why and what will happen next.
The Coroner will then decide who will issue the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death and whether a post mortem or inquest is to be held.
If the body is to be removed from England or Wales, permission must be obtained in advance from the Coroner, who will explain the necessary procedure.
Medical Examiner Service
Who are medical examiners and medical examiner officers, and what do they do?
Medical examiners are senior NHS doctors who, after completing specialist training, work part time in this role. Their job is to give an independent view on causes of death and the care provided (except for deaths which have to be investigated by a coroner).
Medical examiners and their staff (usually called medical examiner officers) offer families and carers of the person who died an opportunity to ask questions or raise concerns about the causes of death, or about the care the person received before their death. This will usually be through a telephone call, or sometimes a meeting. They can explain what medical language means, and make it easier to understand what happened. Medical examiners also look at relevant medical records, and discuss the causes of death with the doctor who is completing the official form (known as the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death or MCCD).
You can be confident medical examiners and medical examiner officers will provide an independent view. They will never look into the causes of death of a person they provided care for.
Why am I being asked if I have any concerns?
You are being asked if you would like to have a conversation with an independent, specially trained person – the medical examiner or a medical examiner officer – about anything that may be worrying you about how the person who died was cared for. You may simply want to better understand why the person died, including by having medical terminology explained, or you may want to raise something about the care which did not feel right or ideal. This is your opportunity to ask questions and raise concerns.
Medical examiners and medical examiner officers will discuss your feedback, questions and concerns. If they consider any issues with the care need further investigation, they will refer these to someone who can do this work.
As well as answering your questions, talking to a medical examiner helps the NHS provide better care for other patients and carers in future; for example, by identifying ways in which patient and family care could be improved.
Can I ask the medical examiner to talk to someone else if it’s too difficult for me to talk to them?
Yes, of course. The medical examiner or medical examiner officer may contact you to ask who you would like them to talk to instead, or you can let the medical team know if you would like someone other than you to be the first point of contact. The medical examiner or their office will usually phone you before the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death is completed – but we can arrange another way of contacting you if you let us know what you prefer.
What questions will I be asked?
The medical examiner or medical examiner officer will explain what is written on the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death and why, and check if you have any questions or concerns. They will also discuss the medical examiner’s review and ask if you have any concerns or questions about the care the person received before their death. This is the best time for you to ask any questions and raise anything that concerns you.
What if I don’t want to talk to the Medical Examiner Service, or I don’t want to tell them about my concerns?
We understand this is likely to be a difficult time for you and it is your choice whether you talk to a medical examiner or not. If you are not sure, you can contact the medical examiner or medical examiner officer (page 11) and ask for more information before deciding if you want to go ahead – they are trained to help bereaved people and will be very understanding.
Medical examiners and medical examiner officers provide an independent view, so if you can, we encourage you to talk to them. They can explain things to you and are specially trained to answer your questions. If medical examiners find any potential issues, they will be able to raise these with the people who were responsible for the care of the person who died, or refer the issues to someone who can investigate further. Talking to the medical examiner and medical examiner officer can help improve the care the NHS provides to other patients and carers in future.
What will happen if something was not right?
The medical examiner and medical examiner officer are here to listen to your concerns and answer your questions and, if necessary, contact someone who can investigate further. Medical examiners will not investigate further themselves, as they must complete their work in the time before the death has to be registered by law.
Will
funeral plans or release of the body take longer?
Medical examiners make every effort to avoid any delays and work with families and carers of the person who died to meet the legal requirements for registering deaths. Medical examiners and medical examiner officers will try to be flexible.
What can I do if I have questions or concerns about the medical examiner process?
If you are not satisfied with the medical examiner’s advice, please first discuss this with staff in the medical examiner’s office, and if you are still not satisfied, you can also contact the Patient Experience Team on 0800 783 5774 or emailing them at cdda-tr.patientexperiencecddft@nhs.net
How can I contact the Medical Examiner office?
Hospital Contact Details
Darlington Memorial Hospital (DMH)
Medical Examiner’s Office
Hollyhurst Road
Darlington County Durham DL3 6HX
University Hospital of North Durham (UHND)
Medical Examiner’s Office
North Road
Durham County Durham DH1 5TW
Bishop Auckland General Hospital (BAGH)
Medical Examiner’s Office
Cockton Hill Road
Bishop Auckland DL14 6AD
Main Switch: 01325 380100
Medical Examiner Officers: 01325 743120
Email.
cddft.medicalexaminerservice@nhs.net
Main Switch: 0191 333 2333
Medical Examiner officers: 0191 333 2745
Email.
cddft.medicalexaminerservice@nhs.net
Main Switch: 01388 455000
Medical Examiner Officers: 01325 743120
Email.
cddft.medicalexaminerservice@nhs.net
Hospital Post Mortems
A member of the hospital medical staff may ask you to give permission for a hospital post mortem to be carried out. You will have the opportunity to discuss this with them and whether you are agreeable or not, you will be issued with a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death and asked to sign a consent form to allow the examination to proceed. You can still go ahead and register the death and a hospital post mortem does not normally delay funeral arrangements.
Organ, Tissue and Body Donation
Organ Donation - has to be considered before death occurs, and is only possible in certain hospital areas, for example, the Intensive Care Unit and Emergency Department.
Tissue Donation - is possible up to 24 hours after death, if this is something you wish to consider please inform the ward staff as soon as possible. The consent of the next of kin is always required for tissue donation.
More information about organ and tissue donation can be found at www.uktransplant.org.uk www.organdonation.nhs.uk
Body Donation - Under the Human Tissue Act, written consent must be given by the deceased prior to their death; consent cannot be given by anyone else after their death. For information and further detail contact the Bereavement Liaison Office.
What should I do if I have any concerns about the care given to the deceased during their time in hospital?
The Medical Examiner will ask you directly about whether you have any concerns with regards to care received or the circumstances surrounding the death of your loved one. They will ensure that feedback is given to relevant teams, and where necessary further investigation is instigated.
We would encourage anyone who has any concerns about the care received by their loved one to raise these with us as soon as you feel able. If there is going to be an Inquest then please do not wait until the Inquest hearing to raise any concerns that you have. You can of course raise concerns at the Inquest itself but we would welcome the opportunity to investigate these and hopefully provide you with answers and reassurance well in advance of an Inquest hearing. There may be issues that the Coroner would not allow to be raised at an Inquest if it is not relevant to the cause of death. If you do have any concerns then please do not hesitate to contact us by either:-
Telephoning
Can I view the deceased?
Staff can help you to arrange a visit to view the deceased in the hospital. Funeral Directors also have their own facilities where you are able to view the deceased.
Viewing can take place on the ward for a limited time just after death, after which viewing can be made by appointment at the Hospital Mortuary or the Funeral Directors.
To make an appointment to view at the Hospital Mortuary, please telephone the Mortuary direct.
Viewings are available:
• University Hospital North Durham
Tel: 0191 333 2300
Monday - Friday 09:30 to 16:00
• Darlington Memorial Hospital
Tel: 01325 743 594
Monday - Friday 09:30 to 16:00
There may be restrictions on viewing times and numbers of how many can attend due to Covid-19.
Who can help me arrange the funeral?
You can contact a Funeral Director 24 hours a day, 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 great 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 undertakers.
Financial help may be available if you receive certain benefits. Contact the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) before making any arrangements.
If the person who has died has no blood next of kin or there are concerns re finances or funeral arrangements, please contact our Bereavement Liaison Services Office before you make any arrangements and we may be able to offer further advice.
Who can I contact regarding State Benefits?
The Registrar of Births and Deaths will have given you a notification of Death Certificate (white certificate) and a pre-paid envelope, which you will need to send to the DWP office after you have filled it in. If you take up the ‘one stop service’ offered by the Registrars, they will inform the relevant services for you and no form is issued. Further information is available in a DWP booklet ‘What to do after death in England and Wales (D1027)’ available from any DWP office or from the Registrars Office. The number for all advice regarding Bereavement Benefits is: 0800 731 0469
Probate and legal advice
If you have difficulty in dealing with the deceased’s property, possessions or guardianship of their children, get 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 of legal advice free.
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).
For applications and enquiries relating to probate please call 0300 123 1072 or further information can be obtained via the government website: www.gov.uk/applying-for-probate
Who else do I need to tell?
Who Needs To Be Told About the Death?
You will probably want to let the family, friends and neighbours know of the death right away. There are several other people who may also need to know.
Priest, Vicar, Minister, Iman, Faith leader or Humanist
Celebrant Family Doctor
Bank, Credit Cards, Building Society
Schools, College or University attended
Place of work OR occupational pension provider
Executors of the Estate (Will)
Solicitor
Insurance Companies
Library Service
HMRC
Residential or Nursing Home
Landlord, Housing Department
Electricity, Gas, Telephone, Water Companies
Post Office (redirect mail)
Care line
Cancel any appointments
CELS / NHS for the return of any equipment
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.
Tell Us Once
Some councils, including both the Durham County Council and Darlington Councils run a service called Tell Us Once, which means that they will contact different government services for you following a death.
If the person you care for has died ask about the Tell Us Once service when you make an appointment to register the death. If your council has a Tell Us Once service the Registrar can help you use it at your appointment, or can give you a unique reference number so you can access the service yourself later.
The service will contact various government services to enable them to:
• work out final payments of benefits for the person who has died (including the State Pension) and tax credits
• make arrangements for Income Tax, National Insurance and Council Tax
• cancel the passport and/or driving licence of the person who has died (if you provide this information)
• make arrangements about council housing and Blue Badge schemes
• make sure the person’s name is removed from the electoral register (the electoral roll)
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.
Other points to note
The passport.
Should be returned to the Passport Office for cancellation. It can be returned to you afterwards if you wish.
Driving licence and car registration documents.
Return to DVLA, Swansea.
Car insurance.
If the deceased was the policy holder for the car insurance, any other named driver mentioned in the policy will cease to be covered. A new policy must be taken out in the name of the new driver.
Pension and allowance books.
Return, when claiming any uncashed orders at the same time.
War pension.
Any unpaid portion of the war pension can be claimed by writing to:
War Pensions Branch DWP
Norcross
Blackpool
FY5 3TA
Coping with grief
It might help you cope with the emotional side of things to bear in mind the following points.
Grief is a shock
Even when death is expected it can still come as a shock. You may experience all sorts of different things, emotionally and physically. It is as if your mind and body need to adjust to what has happened. It takes time.
Grief is individual
Each person responds to loss in a different way. Some people feel angry, guilty or depressed which is normal, but there is no right or wrong way to grieve. You might be surprised by what you feel or by what you don’t feel.
Grief is normal
Grief is a natural process. It serves its purpose, taking us forward to a new phase in our lives. It is not easy and you can only arrive at the end of the process by going through it. However you can get there – eventually.
Grief is for everyone
When someone dies, all members of the family will have a need to grieve. This is as true for children as it is for adults. Do try to be as open and honest with them as you can and include them in your plans.
Grief is a challenge
Grief can be difficult and troubling, a real challenge to our ability to cope. Nevertheless, most people have reserves of inner strength. We hope that you are able to discover and tap into yours. Other people - friends and family - can be a useful source of strength as well.
Grief need not last forever
There is a sense in which life can never be the same again. Of course it can’t be. Nevertheless, most people eventually do manage to invest something of themselves in life again. We hope that you too will find this kind of courage.
Grief can be helped
Finding ways to remember our loved ones and to share our feelings with others might not be easy. Yet this usually helps, if we can find the right person to talk to. We hope that you will feel you can talk to us.
Remember that our Chaplains, the local clergy, your GP and the various support organisations such as Cruse are there to help.
Sources of help and other useful information
Child Death Helpline:
For anyone affected by the death of a child.
Tel: 0800 282 986
Compassionate Friends
Offering support and care for bereaved parents and family after the death of a child.
Tel: 0345 123 2304
CRUSE Bereavement Care
A national organisation which helps with advice over bereaved and practical matters.
Helpline: 0808 808 1677
Durham & Darlington – 01325 288 633
Age UK
Produces a useful booklet on bereavement and can help with general support and advice.
Tel: 0800 678 1602
Switchboard LGBT+ Helpline
Supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people who have been bereaved.
Tel: 0800 0119 100
www.switchboard.lgbt
Hope Again (c/o CRUSE)
Internet support for young people. Young Persons free phone helpline: 0808 808 1677 www.hopeagain.org.uk
Samaritans
24 hour telephone counselling offering emotional support.
National Helpline: 116 123 FREE.
SOBS- Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide
Tel: 0300 111 5065
Winston’s Wish
This charity provides services to bereaved children, young people and their families.
Tel: 08088 020 021 www.winstonswish.org
What to Do After a Death in England and Wales.
This is a guide produced by the Department for Work and Pensions informing you what you must do and the help you can get.
If you require this booklet in another language, please contact the ward.
Ref: University Hospital of North Durham
Bishop Auckland Hospital Bereavement Book
Publication date: July 2024
Review date: July 2026
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.
RNS Publications, Trium House, Broughton Way, Whitehills, Blackpool, Lancashire FY4 5QN 01253 832400 enquiries@rns.co.uk
