Someone I care about has died in the Community. What do I do next?
We acknowledge the sadness felt following the death of a loved one and would like to offer our sincere condolences to you.
When someone dies there are many things to do often at a time of great personal distress. This booklet will help guide you on decisions and arrangements you have to make over the coming days and weeks.
If your loved one has had the involvement of the Community Care Team (District Nurses), please contact them. They will be able to provide support, information and guidance at this difficult time.
Please contact the patient’s GP when the surgery is open. Out of hours: you can contact the on call doctors via 111.
In Harrogate and Rural area, confirmation or verification of death is not routinely undertaken if the death was expected. If you are unsure, please speak to your GP, District Nurse or 111 and they will be able to advise you.
You should contact your chosen Funeral Director directly to make arrangements to transfer your loved one.
The staff in the care home will be able to advise you. They will contact the GP. They may communicate with the District Nurses if they have been involved (residential homes only).
The staff in the care home will need to know the details of your chosen Funeral Director so that arrangements can be made to transfer your loved one.
The GP will arrange this with the Medical Examiner team.
The Medical Examiner Officer will contact you or the nominated point of contact directly by phone after the death has occurred (usually within 72 working hours). They will advise when the MCCD has been completed and electronically sent to the Registry Office. The Medical Examiner will advise when you can then arrange a face to face appointment with the Registrar.
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 of causes of death and the care provided (except which have to be investigated by a Coroner, see page 5).
Medical Examiners and Medical Examiners Officers offer families and carers of the person who died an opportunity to ask questions or raise any concerns about the causes of death or about the care the person received before their death.
Please note, if the death is referred to the Coroner there will be a delay in the certificate being issued. The Medical Examiner will guide you through this process.
Medical Examiner Office
01423 559274 (during office hours only excluding Bank Holidays).
Please liaise with your Funeral Director and they will make arrangements for you to visit your loved one in their own chapel of rest.
Deaths can only be registered by the following people
• A relative
• Someone who was present at the death
• An occupier of the house where the death occurred or official from the public building where the death occurred eg. the hospital
• The person making the arrangements with the Funeral Director
Harrogate Register Office
Bilton House
31 Park Parade Harrogate HG1 5AG
Book an appointment once the MCCD has been completed. 0300 131 2131
www.northyorks.gov.uk/births-deaths-marriages/death/ register-death
What information do I need to register the death?
In addition to the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death, the Registrar will ask about
• Dates and places of birth and death
• Full name and marital status
• Home address
• Last occupation (even if retired)
• If married – the date of birth of the surviving partner
• If female – maiden name, husband’s full name and occupation
The Registrar will then issue you with two forms:
• A green form for the Funeral Director
• A white form for the Department of Work and Pensions (if needed)
There is no charge for registering a death however there is a charge for additional certified copies of the death certificate. You will need certified copies to send to banks, building societies, insurance companies etc. as most organisations will not accept photocopies.
When is the Coroner involved?
The death will be reported to the Coroner if it has resulted from or occurred in any of these circumstances:
• Cause of death is unknown or suspicious.
• Industrial diseases eg. Mesothelioma
• A death that occurred during or soon after undergoing a medical procedure
The Coroner is responsible for establishing the cause of death. They are helped in this by a Coroner’s Officer. The officer will usually speak to relatives soon after death in order to gather facts and information about the deceased. This is a legal formality and is not intended to cause any concern. They may also contact the deceased’s GP for a recent medical history.
If the cause of death still remains unknown the Coroner will then order a post mortem examination. The Coroner may also decide to hold an inquest into the death. In these circumstances, the Coroner’s Officer will inform you of the time and place.
Please note the Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death cannot be issued until the Coroner is satisfied of the cause of death. In these circumstances, it is acceptable to register the death after the five day period. You should also advise the Funeral Director that the Coroner is involved.
Coroner’s Officer
Harrogate Police Station
Beckwith Head Road
Harrogate
HG3 1FR
Tel: 01609 643181
Body Donation
Under the Human Tissue Act, written consent must be given from the deceased before death. Consent cannot be given by anyone else after their death.
Human Tissue Authority www.hta.gov.uk
Organ and Tissue Donation
Organ donation
Donation of organs from the body can only be considered before death occurs and is only possible when a patient is in certain hospital areas such as the Intensive Care Unit or the Emergency Department.
For more information on Organ and Tissue donation: www.organdonation.nhs.uk 0800 432 0559
Tissue Donation
When a relative/friend dies at home or in hospital it may be possible for them to donate tissues for transplant or research. Donated tissues such as skin, bone, tendons and heart valves can dramatically improve people’s lives and eye donation can restore sight. You may receive a call from a specialist nurse to discuss the option of tissue donation.
Donation can take place within 24 hours after someone dies. A specialist nurse will explain the process and discuss consent with you before any donation takes place.
If your relative or friend has expressed a wish to donate or you would like to discuss this further please speak to your GP, District Nurse, or your care staff or call the NHS Blood and Transplant
Tissue Donation on 0800 432 0559 to speak to a specialist nurse. www.nhsbt.nhs.uk
You may already know which Funeral Director you would like to use. You can contact them at any time to inform them of your loss and to begin to make arrangements.
The Funeral Director will advise you on registration of death and discuss forms and certificates involved, as well as making necessary arrangements. They can arrange for the notice of death to be announced in the local newspapers.
Further Information:
• Any local websites or local media
• National Association of Funeral Directors
Tel: 0121 711 1343
www.nafd.org.uk
• The British Institute of Funeral Directors
Tel: 0800 032 2733
www.bifd.org.uk
• The National Society of Allied & Independent Funeral Directors
Tel: 0345 230 6777
www.saif.org.uk
You can ask for an estimate of costs in advance and if you would like, you can ask other Funeral Directors for quotes so that you can compare prices. Most Funeral Directors will give you a price list on request, including flowers, notices in local papers, church and crematorium fees and memorials. They will also be happy to discuss specific wishes that your loved one or you may have for the funeral.
If death occurred away from home you may contact one of your local Funeral Directors who will arrange for your loved one to be transferred back to their home area.
You may not wish to involve a Funeral Director. Please see below a list of organisations that can help make alternative arrangements.
Natural Death Centre
This organisation publishes a guide to making your own funeral arrangements and planning green funerals. In The Hill House Watley Lane Twyford Winchester, SO21 1QX 01962 712 690 www.naturaldeath.org.uk
Burial and Cremation Services (Harrogate Borough Council) will give you advice and support if you wish to arrange your own service or ceremony.
Bereavement Services Manager
Stonefall Cemetery
Harrogate, HG3 1DE 01423 883523
www.northyorks.gov.uk/births-deaths-marriages/death/ bereavement-advice-and-support
Your loved one may have left instructions on their wishes after death and the type of funeral they would like. Such instructions may concern cremation or burial (whether in a graveyard, green burial site or woodland), religious or non-religious service and any information about who might conduct the service.
If no plans have been made then it is for the Executor of the Will or the nearest relative to decide.
There are varying types of service which can be arranged for your loved one. The Funeral Directors will be available to guide and help you with the decisions you need to make.
If you receive a means tested benefit from the Department for Work and Pensions or Working/Child Tax Credit, you may be entitled to some assistance for the burial or cremation of your relative.
The adviser will be able to help you claim the Funeral Expenses payment and any other bereavement benefits you may be entitled to.
You may also qualify for Bereavement Support Payment if you are under state pension age and are the spouse or civil partner of the deceased. If you were living together as though you were married with the person who has died and had a child where child benefit is in payment, you may also qualify.
You do not have to be in receipt of a means tested benefit to qualify for Bereavement Support Payment.
For further information:
• Department for Work and Pensions Bereavement Service helpline 0800 151 2012 www.gov.uk/funeral-payments www.gov.uk/bereavement-support-payment
• Quaker Social Action www.quakersocialaction.org.uk
Probate is a document released by the Probate Registry confirming that an Executor has the right to wind up the person’s estate. The estate is the house, money and savings left behind by someone who has died. If the estate is small then probate may not be necessary. Getting advice from Citizen’s Advice Bureau may be useful.
If there is no Will then speaking to a Solicitor may be helpful. Most Solicitors will offer up to half an hour free legal advice.
When someone dies, informing the official organisations such as local government agencies and departments can be a repetitive and difficult process. ‘Tell Us Once’ is an innovative cross government service that enables people to report changes in their circumstances to government just once. This service will be offered routinely to people registering a death by the Register Office.
Following registration the Registrar will provide you with details of this service which you can then contact online or by telephone. Please ask the Register Office for details.
The following departments will be informed through this service.
Local Councils
Housing benefit office
Council tax payments and benefits office
Council housing
Libraries
Blue badges - please bring the blue badge with you if available
Adult Social Care
Identity and Passport Service
Passport cancellation
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
Driving licence cancellation
Children’s services
Collection of payment for council services
Electoral Services
Department for Work and Pensions
Child benefit
Child tax credit or working tax credit
In addition to the previous page there may be other organisations to contact, where Tell Us Once wouldn’t apply. Please use the following as guidance to see if you have contacted everyone you need.
Executors of the estate (Will)
Priest, Vicar, Minister or Faith Leader
Residential or nursing home
Family doctor
Any hospital your loved one was attending
Inland Revenue
Place of work (Occupational pension)
Solicitor
Bank, giro, credit cards, building society
Insurance companies
Motor insurance
Electricity, gas, telephone, water companies
Social services (home helps, home care)
Royal Mail, newsagent and milk deliveries
Landlord, Housing Department
Schools, college or university
Careline (personal alarm service)
Cancel any appointments
Community Equipment Service
Social Media / Email account
As adults we feel the need to protect our children from things that we 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, e.g. dead, rather than lost or asleep.
Give them plenty of time to ask questions and offer lots of love and reassurance. It is helpful for adults to share feelings with children, including 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.
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. If you do not feel able to confide in a friend, a religious leader or your doctor may be able to help.
We have compiled the following list of contact numbers of various organisations to offer you support.
Do try to look after yourself and take extra care. Allow yourself time to work through your grief as this is an important part of your future wellbeing.
Local Support Organisations
Just B Bereavement Support
Just B @ Starbeck
Hookstone Oval
Harrogate
HG2 8QE
01423 814 480 www.justb.org.uk
Just ‘B’ is a free bereavement support service that exists to offer people living in the Harrogate and district a safe and confidential space to understand and express their grief. Just ‘B’ offers practical support to children, young people and adults who have been bereaved.
Cruse Bereavement Care
Cruse Bereavement Care offers help to all bereaved people by providing counselling, advice and information on practical problems. Cruse has a wide range of booklets and helpful leaflets. There is a national and a local branch.
PO Box 800
Richmond
Surrey
TW9 1RG
0808 808 1677 www.cruse.org.uk
Cruse Bereavement Care’s youth involvement project: www.hopeagain.org.uk
At a Loss
Helping the bereaved to receive the support that they need. www.ataloss.org
Age UK England
7th Floor, One America Square
17 Crosswall
London
EC3N 2LB
0800 678 1602
www.ageuk.org.uk
The Samaritans offer a telephone helpline for people in despair
Tel: Freephone 116 123
www.samaritans.org
Sometimes it’s easier to write down your thoughts and feelings. It can help you understand them better. The Samaritans aim to respond to emails to jo@samaritans.org within 24 hours.
To inform, help and advise on AIDS and HIV infection, it also offers counselling and support to people who have lost friends, relatives or parents through AIDS
0808 802 1221
www.tht.org.uk
Provides a self-help network across the UK to those who are bereaved through losing their partner/spouse when aged 50 or under, offering peer to peer emotional and practical support. www.widowedandyoung.org.uk
Child Bereavement UK
A charity that has dual focus of training professionals who work with families and children affected by death which also produce excellent resources that can be used by those who are bereaved.
0800 0288840
www.childbereavementuk.org
Child Death Helpline
Helpline support for anyone affected by the death of a child irrespective of the age of the child, the relationship or the time since death.
0800 282 986
www.childdeathhelpline.org.uk
This is a nationwide self-help group for parents who have lost a child of any age, including as an adult. This is a befriending organisation rather than one offering counselling.
Kilburn Grange
Priory Park Road
London
NW6 7UJ
0345 123 2304
www.tcf.org.uk
Winstons Wish
A charity that supports grieving children and young people after the death of someone.
08088 020 021
Across the Harrogate and Rural District area we are constantly trying to improve the quality of care we deliver to dying patients, and the care given to their families and friends. To find out more about this, we ask for the views of people who have been close to someone who has died, about the care the patient received in the last days of life, and the support their family and friends received.
If you wish to provide such feedback, please follow the link below to the Harrogate and Rural District Bereaved Relatives Survey: www.hdft.nhs.uk/survey.
All information entered is sent to Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, the organisation running the survey, and will be strictly confidential. No one will be identifiable in the report produced. There is absolutely no obligation to complete the survey; it is entirely voluntary, or you can ask someone else who may be better placed to complete it if you prefer.
Should you have any questions or concerns about the care you or your family member or friend received and would like to speak to someone, please contact a member of the organisation or healthcare team which looked after them, or call the Harrogate District Hospital Patient Experience Team on 01423 555499 and they will be able to direct your call appropriately.
Ref: Harrogate District Community Hospital Bereavement Book
Published Date: June 2024
Review Date: April 2026
A donation in memory of a loved one to Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity is an amazing way of your loved ones legacy being continued. A donation, however big or small will be used to help fund new equipment, training and to improve the environment for patients and their families across the Harrogate & District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and the wider community.
This is a generous way of remembrance as their legacy continues to create a positive impact for many years to come .
For more information or to make a donation, please visit: www.hhcc.co.uk or call 01423 557408. We can offer guidance to suit your needs — We are here to help you at this difficult time.
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.
