East Surrey Hospital Bereavement Book by bereavementadvice

NHS

Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust

Following a Bereavement

A guide for bereaved family and friends

Please ring the BEREAVEMENT OFFICE on 01737 231718 between 10.00am - 3.00pm and leave your contact details. You do not need to attend the Bereavement Office.

Introduction May we extend our sincere condolences at this difficult time. We understand that this may be a very distressing time for you and are aware that there are many arrangements you will have to make over the coming days and weeks. The aim of this booklet is to provide you with information and advice to support you with this.

Contents Subject

Page

First steps ................................................................................................... 1 Who can offer me support? ................................................................... 2 What must I do now? .............................................................................. 3 Funeral directors ....................................................................................... 4 Tissue donation after death ................................................................... 5 Financial help and advice ...................................................................... 5 HM Coroners ............................................................................................. 6 Post mortem examinations and Inquests.......................................... 7 Coroners process flow chart ................................................................. 8 When and where do I register the death? .................................. 9-10 Organisations offering help and support ...................................11-12 East Surrey Hospital Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) ................................................................13

The Surrey & Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust does not endorse any of the advertisements contained in this booklet. They are there for information purposes only.

First steps:

(please note that the whole process can take a few working days, and longer, if a coroner is involved)

Telephone the Bereavement Office between 10.00am and 3.00pm on 01737 231718 and leave a message with your contact details. We will ring you back as soon as we can.

Start considering which Funeral Director you would like to instruct and contact them if you wish.

The Medical Examiner at the hospital will call you to discuss the cause of death.

Book your registration appointment online/by telephone - see page 10 (please do not do this until you have spoken to the Medical Examiner).

Who can offer me support? General Practitioner/Family Doctor The GP/family doctor will be notified by the hospital in due course. You may wish to seek the help and support of your own GP. Hospital Chaplain The hospital chaplain is available to offer support and to meet with you by arrangement. Please do not hesitate to ask for a chaplain. We can also arrange to contact members and leaders from different faith groups in the community, 01737 768511 ext. 6120. Viewing appointments If you wish to have a viewing, it’s advisable to make arrangements with your funeral director. However, viewing in the hospital mortuary can be booked by contacting the Mortuary on 01737 768511 extension 1695. Remembrance Service East Surrey Hospital holds a non-religious service for those who have been bereaved. If you would like to attend please call 01737 231626 where you will hear information about the next service.

What must I do now? Please telephone the Bereavement office after 10am to provide the bereavement officer with your contact details to enable us to contact you over the next few days. The direct line for the Bereavement office is 01737 231718. The office is open for telephone calls Monday - Friday 10am - 3pm (except for Public Holidays). If the phone is not answered or outside office hours please leave a message with a contact telephone number where we can reach you and we will return your call as soon as possible. The office arranges for the completion of the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. This is the certificate which is needed to register the cause of death. The Medical Certificate has to be completed by a doctor who attended the patient during their stay in hospital. The Bereavement Officer contacts the doctor to arrange an appointment to attend the Bereavement Office to speak to the Medical Examiner (ME) and complete the necessary paperwork. However, hospital doctors are generally very busy and may not be available to complete the necessary paperwork until later in the week. If there are any delays, we will update you and discuss this with you. In some cases the doctor may have to notify the Coroner regarding the death, the ME will contact you and discuss this with you. Once the doctor has completed the Medical Certificate one of the independent Medical Examiners will call you to discuss the cause of death. They will also ask if you were satisfied/any concerns with the care received before and during the last hospital admission. 3

The Medical Examiner is an independent consultant who will not have been involved in any aspect of the patient’s care. Once you have spoken with the ME you can then contact the Surrey Registrar. The Bereavement Officer will also seek to obtain information from you regarding funeral arrangements. We appreciate that you may not have had time to consider these at this time but it is useful for us to know as soon as possible. This ensures all necessary paperwork is completed and no delays are caused in releasing your loved one to your chosen funeral director.

Funeral directors Funeral directors will be able to advise you regarding all arrangements, including viewing appointments, cremation and burial options, funerals out of area and abroad. Please inform the funeral director if the Coroner is involved so that they can plan the funeral accordingly. When should I contact a funeral director? If you wish, you can start to make provisional arrangements before your telephone appointment with the Registrar of Deaths.

Tissue donation after death Every year the lives of many people are saved with the help of organs donated before death occurs. However, you may not realise that donated tissue, such as eyes (corneas), skin, bone and heart valves can also save or dramatically improve the quality of life for others. Many people can be considered as donors. Tissue can be donated up to 24 - 48 hours after death and this would not delay funeral arrangements. People may have discussed donation with family or friends during their lifetime. They may have already registered as a donor or carried an organ donor card. However, it is possible for a family member to consent on behalf of the deceased, even if they were not previously registered as a donor. If you would like more information to consider tissue donation, please speak to a member of staff who will contact the tissue donation specialist nurse on your behalf, or if out of hours the site coordinator. There is a national number available 24 hours a day for advice 0800 432 0559.

Financial help and advice Funerals are 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 benefits or if the person who has died has no next of kin. Contact the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) before making any arrangements. For more information please contact the DWP: 0800 731 0469 or visit their website: www.gov.uk/funeral-payments/how-to-claim 5

HM Coroners When the ME is aware that the doctors are going to refer to the Coroner, they will advise you accordingly. The two most common reasons for referring to the Coroner are: • unknown/uncertain cause of death • if they underwent an operation or general anaesthetic during this admission. Also, there are certain causes of death which must always be referred to the Coroner regardless of whether the death was expected or not. You can contact the Coroner’s Office or by emailing them coronersoffice@surreycoroner.gov.uk or by calling 01483 404530.

Post mortem examinations and Inquests The Coroner and their officers become involved in all unexpected, violent, sudden or unnatural deaths. The Coroner may decide that a post mortem is necessary to determine the precise cause of the person’s death. The consent of the next of kin would not be sought because the Coroner has a legal right to examine the deceased to ascertain the cause of death. If the Coroner instructs the hospital to issue the MCCD you will still need to register the death with a Registrar. However, if the Coroner decides that a post mortem or inquest is required, they will contact the next of kin directly to advise when and how to register the death and they will issue the necessary paperwork. More information can be obtained from the Home Office guide “The Work of the Coroner”. Sometimes a request is made by the relatives or to the relatives by the hospital to allow a consented post mortem examination. This is because the doctors may wish to know more about the extent of the disease or to enhance medical knowledge in treating similar cases in the future. In such a case the written permission of the next of kin is needed.

When and where do I register the death? You are advised to register the death within five working days. However, there is no time restriction when the Coroner is involved. The Registrar can advise you about who is qualified to register the death and will need the following details about the deceased person: • Date of birth, full name and address of the deceased. • NHS number. • Place of birth if known. • Occupation (and if applicable the name and occupation of the deceased’s spouse or civil partner). • Date of birth and address of a surviving spouse or civil partner. • Confirmation as to whether or not the deceased person was receiving a pension or allowance from public funds. • In the case of a child, the father’s full name, date of birth and occupation. The Registrar will still be able to register the death without all of the information listed above but please make available whatever you know to facilitate the Registrar.

What shall I obtain from the Registrar? The official Death Certificate (officially known as a Certified Copy of the Entry in the Register of Deaths) will be issued by the Registrar. You may wish to obtain extra copies of the Death Certificate from the Registrar for banks, insurance companies etc. A charge is made for each certificate. The Registrar will issue a form (‘the green form’) for your chosen funeral director which authorises the burial or cremation. An alternative form may be issued when the Coroner is involved. You will be able to book an appointment at www.surreycc.gov. uk/registration or by telephoning Surrey County Council on Tel No: 0300 200 1002.

Organisations offering help and support There are a number of voluntary groups who can provide help, advice and counselling for relatives and friends. Although we are only able to give a national telephone number for some, they may be able to give you a local contact. CRUSE Bereavement Helpline (office hours) CRUSE (for widows, widowers and children) www.cruse.org.uk

0808 808 1677 01737 772 834

Compassionate Friends (for bereaved parents) 0345 123 2304 www.tcf.org.uk Winston’s Wish Family Line (for bereaved children and their families) 8am - 8pm Monday - Friday www.winstonswish.org

0808 802 0021

Roadpeace (Traffic collision victims) www.roadpeace.org

0800 160 1069

Gingerbread (One parent families)

0808 802 0925

Foundation for the study of infant deaths www.lullabytrust.org.uk

0808 802 6868

Child Death Helpline

0800 282 986

SANDS (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society) Main Office 020 7436 7940 Helpline 0808 164 3332 Switchboard LGBT + Helpline

0300 330 0630 11

Terrence Higgins Trust Helpline

0808 802 1221

The Samaritans National Helpline www.samaritans.org

116 123 0330 094 5717

Citizens Advice Bureau Caterham and Warlingham Crawley Horley/Redhill Oxted

0344 411 1444 0808 278 7969 0344 411 1444 0800 144 8848

Age UK National Helpline www.ageuk.org.uk Crawley Grinstead

0800 169 2081

The Probate Helpline

0300 123 1072

01903 731 800 01342 327 046

East Surrey Hospital, Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) As a relative or carer, sometimes you may need someone to turn to. This is where the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) can be of help. The PALS team provides confidential advice and support, can negotiate prompt solutions by liaising with staff and, where appropriate, relevant organisations on your behalf. They can also provide information about hospital services and other external support services, for example care agencies and national associations. The PALS office is open weekdays, 9:30am to 4:30pm. You can access PALS: In person: visit their office near the main entrance at East Surrey Hospital Email: sash.pals@nhs.net Online: www.surreyandsussex.nhs.uk/find-contact-us/shareyour-feedback/pals Telephone: 01737 231 958

Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust East Surrey Hospital Canada Avenue Redhill RH1 5RH Tel: 01737 768511 Reference: East Surrey Hospital Bereavement Book Review Date: Jan 2026 Publication Date: Jan 2024 13

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.

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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

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