Florence Nightingale Community Hospital Bereavement Booklet

Patient Information

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust

A practical guide about what to do when someone has died on Ward 2 at Florence Nightingale Community Hospital

www.uhdb.nhs.uk

The staff in the Florence Nightingale Community Hospital offer you our deepest sympathies

The death of someone you care about is an emotional experience. You may feel unsure about the practical things that now have to be done.

This booklet contains information and advice that we hope you will find useful at this difficult time.

Please remember that people are here to help. If you need any other information or support don’t be afraid to ask.

What do I do next?

After someone dies on Ward 2, your relative will go to Wathall’s Funeral Directors, who provide Ward 2 mortuary services.

The nursing staff will gain your consent and write your details on a GDPR form. This is so we are able to forward your personal details on to another party. This information will be passed onto our offsite mortuary with your permission.

Our offsite Mortuary will then contact you the next day to let you know your relative is with them.

Our offsite Mortuary will liaise with the chosen funeral directors to move the person when the time is right.

Wathall’s – 101 – 111 Macklin Street, Derby, DE1 1LG

(01332) 345268.

When Ward 2 issues the medical certificate

When someone has died on Ward 2 a medical certificate will be issued by the doctors on Ward 2 unless your relative arrives after 5pm and wasn’t reviewed by a Ward 2 medical doctor then the medical certificate will be issued by the previous team at Royal Derby Hospital in which case you will be asked to contact the Bereavement Service Team at Royal Derby Hospital. Phone number (01332) 785557.

All deaths that occur in the UK have to be registered within 5 days (includes weekends and bank holidays). A medical certificate is required to be issued to state the cause of death.

Some deaths are routinely reported and discussed with the coroner, which can delay this. You will be advised which of these applies to you.

When the medical certificate is completed, this is then scanned and an email sent to the registry office. When this has been completed a member of the Ward 2 team will contact you to inform you this has been done and now you need to ring the registry office to make an appointment.

Registry Office – 01332 641680.

When the Coroner is involved

When the hospital, either Ward 2 or the previous medical team is unable to provide a medical certificate. The death will be referred to the Coroner for investigations which are required by law without the agreement of relatives. The death cannot be registered until the Coroner has finished the necessary enquiries.

When a death is referred to the Coroner you will need to telephone the Coroner’s Officer who will give you advice and guidance on what to do next.

The coroner’s office can be contacted on 01629 535050. They are open Monday to Friday 08.30am - 4.00pm.

Medical Examiners

Medical Examiners are independent senior doctors employed by the Trust. In the first few days after your loss you may receive a call from the Medical Examiners’ Office. The aim is for them to ensure that care and treatment were appropriate and the cause of death is accurate. The cause of death on the medical certificate will be explained to you and you will have the opportunity to ask questions or raise any concerns if you wish to do so.

When a Hospital Post Mortem Examination is requested

If a Coroner’s investigation is not required, doctors may ask you to agree to a post mortem examination. This may help the doctors provide more detailed information about the reasons for the death. It may also contribute to the development of new ways of treating future patients with similar problems.

If you agree to a consented post mortem examination the doctors will issue the medical certificate before it takes place so that you can proceed with the funeral arrangements.

Registering the death

When the hospital or the Coroner has issued a medical certificate the death must be registered within 5 days (includes weekends and bank holidays). This is done at the Register Office.

The majority of deaths are registered by a relative of the deceased. The Registrar will allow other people to register the death only if there were no relatives available as below:

• someone present at the death

• someone who found the body

• a person in charge of the body

• the person making the arrangements with the funeral directors

A certified copy of the entry in the Register of Deaths - a Death Certificate - can be obtained for £11. You may require one or more copies for private pension and financial matters etc.

Deaths are registered by a face-to-face appointment at-

The Derby Register Office

Royal Oak House Market Place

Derby

DE1 3AR

Telephone 01332 641680

Deaths can be registered at other register offices, but this is not advisable as it can delay the registration process and ultimately you will have to wait a longer period of time before you receive the death certificate.

Arranging to see the person who has died

You will be given time on Ward 2 to say goodbye before your relative goes to Wathall’s Funeral Directors. If you wish to visit at Wathall’s or the chosen funeral directors you can request this with them.

Arranging the funeral

The funeral is a significant and very personal event for most bereaved people. Before making arrangements check that instructions regarding the funeral have not already been made by the deceased. Some people make a funeral arrangement plan with a local undertaker or leave their wishes in a future care record or their Will.

The majority of people choose to make their arrangements with a Funeral Director. You can make all the arrangements yourself if you wish.

The funeral ceremony may follow a standard format or a particular faith tradition. There are secular non-religious celebrants available too.

Woodland burial and other green options are available. For information please contact a Funeral Director or your relevant local authority. All the local authorities in this area have websites with helpful information.

Derby: 01332 341012

www.derby.gov.uk/community-and-living/deaths-funerals-cremations

Amber Valley: 01773 841565

www.ambervalley.gov.uk/community/birth-marriages-and-deaths/deaths-burialsand-cemeteries

Erewash: 0115 907 2244

www.erewash.gov.uk/parks-and-gardens-section/cemeteries

South Derbyshire: 01283 595782

www.southderbyshire.gov.uk/our-services/births-marriages-and-deaths/deaths

Derbyshire Dales: 01629 761100

www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk/community/births-deaths-and-marriages

The important thing to remember is that you can choose what is most appropriate for you, your family and friends. Your option for cremation or burial is a matter of preference especially if the location of the final resting place is important.

Choosing a Funeral Director

The Funeral Directors you have chosen will manage the funeral arrangements and give advice and support. Initial arrangements can be made with them before the death is registered.

Most Funeral Directors are available seven days a week and, if you wish, will visit you at home. They will ensure that the legal requirements are fulfilled and will explain clearly all the options available.

The Funeral Director can also help with your arrangements for someone to lead the ceremony if you wish. This person can also offer support and discuss the details with you. Make sure you tell the Funeral Director if there is a particular person you would like to fulfil this role.

Cremation or burial?

The nursing staff on Ward 2 will ask if your relative had decided on cremation or burial. This information will be communicated to our offsite mortuary and also the medical team on Ward 2.

However, you may have not decided. This can be discussed with the Funeral Director of choice or person leading the ceremony who will be able to help you.

Funeral costs

There is no cost to you for the service of collection of your relative from Ward 2 to Wathall’s Funeral Director (our mortuary).

Whichever funeral director you choose to handle your funeral arrangements with, there will be a fee for moving your relative into their care, including at Wathall’s Funeral Directors.

Financial help

If you arrange a funeral you are responsible for paying the bill, so check where the money will come from first.

If you are finding it difficult to pay for a funeral that you have to arrange, the Funeral Director will be able to advise you. You may be able to get a Social Fund Funeral Payment providing you or your partner receive one of the following:

• Income support

• Housing benefit

• Council tax benefit

• Job seeker’s allowance (income based)

• Disabled person’s tax credit

• Working family’s tax credit

Your Funeral Director will be able to advise you.

Helpful contacts

The Trust has its own chaplains, social workers and interpreters. Should you wish to see someone, you can contact them directly:

Chaplains

The Faith Centre offers a listening ear, spiritual care and pastoral support to anyone affected by bereavement.

Telephone - 01332 789500

Interpreters - 01332 788080

Social Workers - 01332 785600

Macmillan Information Centre

Located near entrance 24, the centre offers support and information about cancer at all stages of the disease.

Telephone - 01332 786008

Your local church or religious community may be able to offer you help and support; don’t be afraid to contact them even though you may not be a practising member.

You may find it helpful to visit your own GP.

We hope this brief guide has been useful to you.

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 not only actively reduce 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.

Reference: Florence Nightingale Community Hospital

Bereavement Book

Review Date: April 2026

Publication Date: April 2024

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.

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. 01253