Help For Relatives Following A Bereavement
Covid-19 Pandemic
Due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, some of the information contained within this booklet may not apply. The changes that have been implemented are listed below:-
The Medical Certificate of Cause of Death is sent directly via email and post to the Registrars’ so you do not need to attend the hospital to collect the paperwork. Your contact details will also be forwarded to the Registrars’. You may still collect your relative/friends’ belongings from the hospital.
The appointment with the Registrar will be conducted by telephone as there are no face to face appointments at the moment, so you will not need to attend in person.
The formal death certificates will be sent to you in the post by the Registrar, to an address provided by the informant.
The Certificate of Burial and Cremation (Green Form) will be scanned to your designated funeral director, if known at the time of registration.
Bereavement information for relatives or friends
We very much regret the circumstances in which we must offer this advice. On behalf of Sussex Community Foundation Trust, may we extend our sincere condolences to you.
Unfortunately, it will be necessary for you to call again at the Hospital to collect the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death and any property or valuables held in safekeeping by the Hospital.
The Bereavement Office is open between 09:30 and 13:00 Monday – Friday, excluding Bank Holidays.
To avoid you having to wait, please telephone or ask someone to do so on your behalf, after 09:30, and we will arrange a suitable time to come in.
Bereavement Office, Crawley Hospital
Telephone No. 01293 227795
If the Bereavement Officer is unable to answer your call, please leave a message and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
We recommend that once you have made contact with the Bereavement Officer and have been given a time to collect the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death, you call the Registrar of Births and Deaths in Crawley to make an appointment to register the death.
Telephone No. 01243 642122
Chapel of Rest
The Hospital’s policy is that the patient will be taken to the Chapel of Rest at Freeman Brothers Funeral Directors (01293 540000) unless you have requested otherwise. However, can we please ask that if you wish to use a funeral director who is not local to Crawley Hospital, you initially allow the patient to be taken to Freeman Brothers, this is to enable the doctors to see the patient and complete all the necessary paperwork. There is no obligation whatsoever for you to choose Freeman Brothers for the funeral, this is simply an arrangement we have with them. They will look after your relative until you have chosen which funeral director you want to use, they will make no charge for this service. If you decide to use an alternative funeral director, they will liaise with Freeman Brothers to transfer the patient.
Registering the death
Once the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death has been issued, the death must be registered within 5 days if it has not been referred to the Coroner. It must be registered in the area in which it occurred (see Area Registry Offices listed below):
Crawley: Crawley Library, Southgate Avenue, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 6HG
Horsham: Park House, North Street, Horsham, West Sussex RH12 9SB
Central Telephone number for Registrars 01243 642122
Do check when the Registrar will be available.
When you go to the Registrar, you should take the following:-
• Medical Certificate of Cause of Death.
• The deceased’s medical card, if they had one.
• Any War Pension order book of the deceased.
You will need to take along the following information about the person who has passed away:-
1. The date and place of death.
2. The deceased’s last (usual) address.
3. The deceased’s first name and surname (and maiden name if appropriate).
4. The deceased’s date and place of birth.
5. The deceased’s occupation and the name and occupation of his/her spouse.
6. Whether the deceased was receiving a pension or allowance from public funds.
7. If the deceased was married, the date of birth of the surviving widow/widower.
The Registrar will issue you with:
• Green Form (the Certificate for Burial or Cremation), this form is to be given to the Funeral Director.
• Form BD8 – Registration or notification of a death for Department for Work and Pensions
Location maps for Crawley and Horsham Registry Offices
Crawley: Crawley Library, Southgate Ave, RH10 6HG
Tel: 01243 642122
Copyright © RNS Publications 2023
Horsham: Park House, North St, Horsham, RH12 9SB
Tel: 01243 642122
Copyright © RNS Publications 2023
The Death Certificate
This is a certified copy of the entry in the Death Register. The Registrar will advise you on how many certificates you will require for insurance policies, banks etc. The fee for each copy on the day of registration is £11.00 as of April 2023.
If the death is referred to the Coroner, the Coroner’s Officer will contact the nearest relative with details of when arrangements can proceed.
The Registrar will give you:
a. A certificate for burial or cremation. This gives permission for the body to be buried or for an application for cremation to be made. It should be taken to the Funeral Director, so that the funeral can be held.
b. A certificate of registration of death. This is for Social Security purposes only. Read the information on the back of the certificate - if any part applies, complete and return the form to the Social Security Office.
‘Tell Us Once Service’
The ‘Tell Us Once Service’ is a free service that enables you to inform most government/council organisations of a death in one go.
When you register a death the Registrar will:
• Generate a unique reference number for you to use on the ‘Tell Us Once’ online page or be telephone.
• Give you a print out with instructions on how to use the service.
The service enables you to notify the following organisations:
• The Department of Work and Pensions – to cancel state pensions, pension credit, benefits.
• HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) – to deal with personal tax.
• Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) – to cancel a licence and remove the person as the keeper of up to five vehicles.
• Passport Office – to cancel a British passport.
• Local Council – to cancel housing / council tax benefit, to inform council housing services, cancel a blue badge and to remove a person from the electoral roll.
Funerals
What to do first:
Do not confirm funeral arrangements until you are sure the death does not have to be reported to the Coroner, since this may affect the date when the funeral can be held.
Find out if there is a Will, you may find that the deceased has included requests about his/her funeral arrangements.
Funeral Directors
Most funerals are arranged by a Funeral Director.
A Funeral Director who is a member of the National Association of Funeral Directors, must give you details of prices, which may not be exceeded without permission. This includes an estimate for what their Code of Practice (agreed with the Office of Fair Trading) calls a basic simple funeral, as well as any additional services.
Help with funeral costs
Funerals can be expensive. If you are on Income Support, Family Credit or Housing Benefit, you may be able to get payment from the Social Fund, to help pay for the funeral. To get more information about Social Security benefits. The person taking your call will be able to give you general advice. Please contact the Benefits Agency on 0345 606 0265.
Support and comfort
Death can be traumatic and painful for partners, members of the family and friends.
Some people find it helps to share their sadness, others find it very hard to talk about the person who has died.
Some people work through their grief quickly, but for most people it is a long and painful process. It is quite normal to find yourself crying for long periods in the weeks after the death of a relative or close friend. You may feel sad, angry or bitter about what has happened.
Although nobody can fully take away your sadness and pain, you may be able to find some help and support from a number of different groups and organisations.
There are several organisations in England and Wales which give this kind of support and some are listed below:-
Age UK (National Association for the Elderly)
Shackleton Road, Tilgate, Crawley RH10 5DF
Information advice line: 01293 544 144 www.ageuk.org.uk/westsussexbrightonhove
Cruse
Telephone: 0808 808 1677 www.cruse.org.uk
Winston’s Wish Family Line (for bereaved children and their families)
Telephone: 0808 802 0021 www.winstonswish.org
The Compassionate Friends
(Nationwide self-help organisation for bereaved parents)
Kilburn Grange, Priory Park Road, London NW6 7UJ
Telephone: Bristol: 0345 123 2304 www.tcf.org.uk
The Lullaby Trust (The Cot Death Helpline) (for parents whose baby has died suddenly)
The Lullaby Trust, 10 - 18 Union Street, London SE1 1SZ
Telephone Helpline: 0808 802 6868 www.lullabytrust.org.uk
SANDS
(for parents whose baby dies before, during, or within a week or so of birth)
SANDS, 10 - 18 Union Street, London, SE1 1SZ
Telephone: 0808 164 3332
www.sands.org.uk
The Samaritans (for someone you can talk to who will give you support - they are open 24 hours a day)
Telephone: Horsham & Crawley: 0330 094 5717 www.samaritans.org
British Organ Donor (BODY)
(A self-help support group for families of organ donors and for those who have received organs. They also welcome calls from those waiting transplants).
Balsham
Cambridge CB1 6DL
Telephone: 01223 893636 (24 hours)
Stop Mail
A free of charge service provided by the Bereavement Support Network. By visiting www.stopmail.co.uk or calling 0808 168 9607 and registering Stop Mail it will remove your loved ones details from marketing lists and reduce the likelihood of identity theft too.
Telephone: 0808 168 9607
www.stopmail.co.uk
London Friend
The UK’s oldest charity for the LGB&T community and provides bereavement support.
Telephone: 020 7833 1674
www.londonfriend.org.uk
Terence HigginsTrust
Telephone: 0808 802 1221
www.tht.org.uk
Citizens Advice Bureau
www.advicewestsussex.org.uk
The Orchard
1-2 Gleneagles Court, Brighton Road, Crawley RH10 6AD
Telephone: Crawley: 0808 278 7969
Lower Tanbridge Way, Horsham RH12 1PS
Telephone: Horsham: 0808 278 7969
Burgess Hill Library, The Martlets, Burgess Hill RH15 9NN
Telephone: Burgess Hill: 0808 278 7969
Oaklands
Paddockhall Road, Haywards Heath RH16 1HG
Telephone: Haywards Heath: 0808 278 7969
The Library
32-40 West Street, East Grinstead RH19 4SR
Telephone: East Grinstead: 0808 278 7969
Whilst Crawley Hospital is very grateful for the support given by those placing advertisements in this booklet, the Hospital regrets that it cannot accept any liability for any of the services provided.
Reference: Crawley Hospital Bereavement Book
Review Date: September 2025
Publication Date: September 2025
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.
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.
25 & 27 Brighton Road, Southgate, Crawley. RH10 6AE
Serving Sussex and Surrey since 1855
• Independent, family firm
• Professional and caring service
• Prepaid funeral plans available
• Beautiful and calm Chapel of Rest
• Purpose-designed premises with off street parking
• Full disabled access
• Monumental masonry services available
• Fleet of modern vehicles
Branches also at: 9 North Parade, Horsham 31 High Street, Billingshurst and 126 High Street, Hurstpierpoint
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, Broughton Way, Whitehills, Blackpool, Lancashire FY4 5QN 01253 832400 enquiries@rns.co.uk
