Advice to relatives following a death in hospital
Soon after death the deceased will be removed by Co-operative Funeralcare to their Exeter Street branch, where they will remain until we have completed all the necessary legalities, after which your nominated Funeral Directors will take them to your chosen Chapel of Rest.
Although the deceased will initially be in the care of Co-operative Funeralcare, you are at liberty to nominate any funeral director to carry out the funeral arrangements.
1. The Funeral Director
Following a death it is important that you contact the Funeral Director of your choice as soon as you are able. You do not have to register the death before you make initial contact with the Funeral Director. Most Funeral Directors are available seven days a week and the earlier you approach them the more they will be able to do for you.
2. The Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death
In most cases the Medical Certificate will be issued by the hospital and can be collected from the Bereavement Officer.
For wards on the Mount Gould Site: The Bereavement Officer
Mount Gould Local Care Centre
Plymouth PL4 7PY
Tel: 07823 533268
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The Bereavement Officer will also return any property or valuables.
Please telephone after 10am on the next working day after the death in order to arrange for the property to be collected.
For Lee Mill Hospital and Glenbourne Unit, please liaise directly with the hospital/unit.
3. The Registrar
The Medical Certificate of Cause of Death will be sent to the Registrar electronically. Please do not come to the Registrar’s Office. Your details will be passed on to arrange an appointment for a telephone registration.
Please make sure that you are able to register the death ~ only certain people are qualified to do so.
a) Relative
b) Bereavement Officer
c) Person responsible for funeral arrangements (not a funeral director)
Once the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death has been sent to the Registrar, you have to register the death with the Registrar’s Office via telephone appointment. Please do not come to the Registrar’s Office.
All deaths that occur within the city boundary are registered here, irrespective of the deceased’s home address. Please make an appointment to register the death by telephoning Plymouth (01752) 268331.
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When you make the appointment, the Registrar will ask you a number of questions, including whether the Coroner has been involved. Full details regarding what happens when the Coroner becomes involved can be found on page 7. The Registrar’s Office is open Monday to Friday 9.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. (See Map 1).
If you need any help or advice please telephone the Registrar’s Office, where a Registrar will gladly give you further information.
At the Registrar’s Office
A. Please take with you:
• The Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death or the certificate from the Coroner.
• The deceased’s medical card or National Health Service number (which the Bereavement Officer will be able to give you).
• Details of any benefits or pensions they were receiving.
B. The Registrar will ask you the following questions (please use the space to write down the information at home before you go to the Registrar’s Office)
The date & place of death
Full name & surname of deceased..........................................
Maiden surname (if applicable)
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The deceased’s date of birth
The town and county of birth ........................................................ (country if born abroad)
The deceased’s last full time occupation ............................................................................................................................
(and the name and occupation of her husband if the deceased was a married woman or widow)
The deceased’s address including the postcode
If the deceased was married, the date of birth of the surviving spouse
The information you give to the Registrar will form the entry in the Death Register. You can buy Death Certificates at the time of registration at a cost of £11 each.
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C. Plymouth City Council offer a ‘Tell Us Once’ service, through the Registrar’s Office. They can inform the following organisations of the death:
• The Department for Work and Pensions
• H M Revenue and Customs
• Identity and Passport Service
• Housing Benefit Office, Council Tax Office
• DVLA
If requested they can also contact the following departments:
• Council Tax
• Blue Badges
• Adult Social Care
• Collection of payment for council services
• Electoral services
Please take any items relating to the above with you to the Registrar’s Office if you wish them to do this.
You can obtain further information about this service when you ring to make an appointment to register the death; alternatively it is available at: www.plymouth.gov.uk.
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D. The Registrar will give you:-
A green form to hand to the Funeral Director unless the Coroner has already sent his own form.
A white form to send to the Social Security Office. You may be able to claim certain benefits and arrears of pension as well as returning any allowance books with this form. You can obtain from the Registrar’s Office a booklet called “What to do after death” issued by the Social Security Office which will give you more information.
For enquiries about bereavement benefits you should contact 0800 731 0469 Bereavement Service helpline or get Form SF200 from Jobcentre.
4. The Coroner
Some deaths have to be referred to the Coroner by either the doctor or the Registrar of Deaths. There are a variety of reasons why a death might be referred.
The Coroner may proceed in a number of ways:
• He may agree with the doctor’s cause of death and issue a certificate (Form A) which he will send directly to the Registrar of Deaths prior to your appointment. Please note, you will not be able to make an appointment to register the death at the Registrar’s Office until they have received the Form A from the Coroner.
• He may order a post-mortem examination to ascertain the exact cause of the death and then issue a certificate (Form B).
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• He may wish to hold a further investigation into the circumstances leading up to the death. This formal investigation is called an inquest. If an inquest is held then the death will be registered by the Registrar on the information provided by the Coroner. In this case relatives do not have to register the death and can purchase copies of the Death Certificate once the death has been registered. Since inquests can take place quite a long time after the date of death, the Coroner usually issues his own form for the Funeral Director and an interim death certificate to enable you to administer the deceased’s estate.
• If a valid Deprivation of Liberty Safeguarding application (DoLS) is in place at the time of death, then the Coroner is required to hold an inquest, even when death is due to natural causes. The inquest will usually be based on information from the Doctor who looked after the deceased whilst in hospital; however there is the possibility that a post-mortem examination will be required.
The Coroner can be contacted by telephoning (01752) 204636.
5. Paying Your Last Respects
If you wish to pay your last respects to the deceased, arrangements can be made by contacting your chosen Funeral Director once the deceased has been taken into their care. You will not be able to pay your last respects whilst the deceased is in the care of the Co-Operative Funeral Directors at Exeter Street, unless they have been chosen to arrange the funeral.
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6. Funeral Expenses
In some cases if a person or their partner has to arrange a funeral and receives Income Support, Income based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Working Families Tax Credit, Disability Living Allowance, Housing Benefit or maximum Council Tax Benefit, they may get some help with the costs from the Social Fund.
Please contact the Jobcentre for Form SF200.
For information about a funeral payment please phone the Bereavement Service helpline on 0800 731 0469.
7. Collection of healthcare equipment
Arrangements can be made for collection of any equipment issued for the deceased by telephoning Millbrook Healthcare on 0845 223 2454. Please do not return items directly to the hospital wards.
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Support in Bereavement
When Someone Dies
The death of someone you love is a devastating experience and can bring about stronger emotions than most people have ever felt before.
Even if you have known that your loved one was dying there is still a sense of shock when the death occurs. You may feel cold, numb, empty and unreal for a time. Following this you may experience such emotions as anger, panic, guilt and sadness. This may also be accompanied by periods of restlessness, especially at night when it is difficult to sleep. You may also react by becoming irritable or critical of yourself and others, which can lead to feelings of despair. All these are natural reactions to bereavement and are not a sign that you cannot cope.
You will obviously want to ensure that the necessary arrangements are efficiently organised, but also with dignity and respect for the person you have lost. You may wish to organise things all by yourself, but if not why not consider the help of relatives or a close and trusted friend? Very often relatives or close friends of the family want to help and share the burden.
During this time you will need the support of others. Do not be afraid to speak about your feelings to someone. This is often a difficult time for family and friends too. They may be afraid to speak about your loved one for fear of upsetting you. It may be necessary for you to take the first step; let them know that you want to talk and would like their support.
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You might also wish to seek the support of your local faith group leader, regardless of your religious beliefs. The hospital Chaplain is available to give pastoral and spiritual support. She can be contacted on 01752 434713 (Monday only). Your G.P. is another person who might be able to provide support at this time.
Grief is a very individual process and we can each react differently so do not feel that you should necessarily experience feelings exactly as described. What is important is that you allow time to grieve and come to terms with your loss in whatever way is right for you.
There is a national charitable organisation known as CRUSE, which was founded to help the bereaved. They can also offer help with emotional and practical problems and also arrange social activities.
The telephone number of the local branch in Plymouth is 0300 330 5466.
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When someone dies there will be many organisations to contact. Below is a list that you might find useful.
Registrar’s Office can inform:
Department for Works and Pensions:
• Pension Service
• Disability and Carers Service
• Jobcentre Plus
HM Revenues and Customs:
• Tax Credits
• Child Benefit
Identity and Passport Service
Housing Benefit Office
Council Tax Benefit Office
D. V. L. A. (driving licence)
If requested, the Registrar’s Office can also inform departments dealing with:
Council Tax
Blue Badge
Adult / Children’s Social Care
Collection of payment for council services
Electoral Services
Library Services (Plymouth)
Bus passes (Plymouth)
Full details of the ‘Tell Us Once’ scheme can be found on www.plymouth.gov.uk
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Checklist for other organisations / services you might need to contact:
Organisation / Service:
Bank/Building Society/Post Office/National Savings
Insurance/Private Pension Companies
Family Doctor/Dentist/Optician/Chiropodist
Landlord/Mortgage Provider
Loan/Credit/Store Card Providers
Utilities: Electricity/Gas/Water/Phone
TV and internet providers/TV Licensing Department
Home Care Providers
Chemist (repeat prescription service)/ return medications
Newsagent/Milk deliveries/Subscriptions
Personal alarm companies
Solicitor/Executors of the Estate
Priest/Vicar/Minister or Faith Leader
Club/Association memberships/Season tickets
Collection of healthcare equipment (see page 9)
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CORONERS OFFICE
Reference: Mount Gould Local Care Centre
Review Date: August 2025
Publication Date: August 2023
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MAP
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.
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