What to do when Someone Dies
Introduction
Pendleside exists to enhance the quality of life for people living in our community with advancing long term and life limiting illnesses, through to end of life and in bereavement. Every adult with advancing long term and life limiting illnesses, and those most important to them within our community, will receive timely and equitable access to high quality services, delivered by appropriately trained staff and volunteers.
May we offer our sympathy to you, your family and friends at this sad time. We understand that this period will be difficult for you and we will continue our support for you throughout this time.
The Team at Pendleside Hospice hope that you will find this booklet helpful with the arrangements which need to be made.
We also have a “DROP-IN” session every Wednesday afternoon from 12:00pm – 3:30pm; a representative from Citizens Advice is available to guide you through some of the problems you may be experiencing. Hospice staff are also on hand to offer other services and emotional support.
Pendleside Hospice simply couldn’t survive without the generosity of the local communities of Burnley and Pendle. There are a number of ways you can support, whether that’s by making a donation, having a funeral collection in lieu of flowers or taking part in our annual Light up a Life campaign.
For more information on making a donation to Pendleside Hospice, please e-mail fundraising@pendleside.org.uk or call our Fundraising team on 01282 440120.
For any further queries on the services we offer, please contact the main hospice reception on 01282 440100.
Role of the Medical Examiner
When a patient dies on our Inpatient Unit, our Medical team will make a referral through to the Medical Examiner Service, who are based at Royal Blackburn Hospital. The role of the Medical examiners is to independently scrutinise the causes of death documented on the referral. Following their review, they will confirm the cause of death to our Medical Team. Their job is to give independent advice into causes of deaths, except for deaths which have to be reviewed by a coroner.
Medical examiners will contact the families/carers and offer them an opportunity to raise questions or concerns about the cause of death of a loved one or about the care they received beforehand. This will usually be done over a telephone call. They can help explain medical language to make it easier to understand. Medical examiners also look at the relevant medical records and discuss the causes of death with the doctor filling in the official form - this is called the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD).
Coroners
Some deaths must legally be notified to the coroner, and the medical examiner service will explain to the family, if this is required.
Will funeral plans or release of the body take longer?
The Medical Examiner will make every effort to avoid any delays and work with families to meet the legal requirements for registering deaths. They try to be flexible, for example, where relatives need release of the body quickly.
How can I contact the medical examiner office?
You can contact the medical examiner office either by phone or email:
Telephone: 01254 735673 or Email: elht.elme@nhs.net
The opening hours are 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday to Friday.
How to Register a Death
A death should be registered within 5 days, unless the Coroner is investigating the circumstances surrounding the death. The death should be registered at the registry office in the same district where the person died. For all deaths within Burnley and Pendle, please contact Burnley Registry District Office: Lyndhurst House, 30 Todmorden Road, Burnley BB10 4AB
An appointment can be made by either ringing 0300 123 6705 or online at www.lancashire.gov.uk/births-marriages-and-deaths
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1) The GP/Bereavement centre or coroner’s office will advise you when they have sent the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) or notification from the coroner to the registrars. In an Inpatient Unit case, the certifying doctor will complete the MCCD, and this will be electronically sent to the registrar by the administration team. When someone has died in their own home, the MCCD may be handed directly to you by a GP – this will need to be delivered to your local Registration office without delay.
2) Please allow 24 hours for the registrars to review the information then book your appointment online at www.lancashire.gov.uk/births-marriages-and-deaths to register the death. Alternatively telephone 0300 123 6705 to book an appointment. If the registrars have not received the information you will be asked to call back the next day.
3) At your face to face death registration appointment the registrar will guide you through the process of registering the death and you will be asked to sign the register page.
4) Following the appointment, the registrar will send the document (commonly known as the green form) to the appointed Funeral Director so that the funeral can go ahead. If your relative/friend has died at Pendleside Hospice, the cremation form will be emailed directly to your chosen funeral directors.
5) The registrar will issue copies of the death certificate to you on payment of a fee (approximately £11 per copy). It may be more cost effective to get more copies at this time, as opposed to requesting more copies at a later time.
6) The registrar will issue you with a Reference Number so that you can use the free death notification service called ‘Tell Us Once’. Please see the next page for an explanation of this service.
7) In the case that a death is referred to the coroner due to an unexpected death or a result of a certain medical condition, paperwork could be delayed for up to a week.
When you go to the Registrar you need to take with you:
• The deceased person’s medical card (if available)
• The Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death
• The deceased person’s birth and marriage certificates (if available)
The Registrar who registers the death will give:
• A Certificate for Burial or Cremation (known as the green form)
• A Certificate of Registration of Death (form BD8)
The Death Certificate is a certified copy of the entry in the death register. The Registrar will give you a copy of the Death Certificate but there will be a charge. You may need extra copies of the Certificate and it is usually more cost effective to request these at the time of registration.
If the case is referred to the Coroner then this may delay things for up to a week, for deaths that are sudden and unexpected or are the result of certain medical conditions.
Once the Coroner’s Certificate is issued you can then register the death.
Should you have any queries please see below:
Coroner’s Court
Telephone: 01772 536536
Email: coroners@lancashire.gov.uk
Who to inform about the death
The government runs a scheme called ‘Tell Us Once’ which makes things easier when it comes to notifying everyone that needs to know of a death, for example:
• Local Councils (council tax housing benefits, blue badges, electoral services etc.)
• Department for Work and Pensions (pension disability, carers’ services, Jobcentre Plus etc.)
• HM Revenue and Customs (child benefit, tax credits, personal taxation etc.)
• Identity and Passport Service
• DVLA
• MoD Service Personnel and Veterans Agency
• War Pensions Scheme
You can access this service by telephone, online, or in person when registering the death.
Tel: 0800 085 7308 (Lines are open Mon – Fri 8:00am – 8:00pm).
Calls are free of charge from a BT landline but other providers may charge. If you do not speak English you can call 0800 085 7308 and an advisor and interpreter will call you back.
Online: www.gov.uk/tell-us-once
In Person: You will need to visit the registration office based in the Borough that the deceased resided in. If you are unsure where the deceased paid their council tax you will need to contact the telephone number above.
Record of Contacts
You will probably want to let family, friends and neighbours know of the death right away. There are several other people who may also need to know.
They are:
Contact:
Benefits Agency (pensions, benefits)
GP Practice
Hospitals
Dentist
Optician
The Bank(s)
Credit Cards
Building Society
Home Care Agency
Places of Work
Contact any private pensions
Executors of the Estate (Will)
Solicitor
Insurance Companies
Library Service
Inland Revenue (HMRC)
Residential or Nursing Home
Landlord - Housing Association, Local Council
Council Tax Offices
Electricity, Gas, Telephone, Water
Post Office (redirect mail)
To stop unwanted junk mail www.stopmail.co.uk
DVLA Swansea
AA/RAC Membership
Car insurance company
Passport Office
National Trust Membership
Cancel any appointments
How do I arrange a Funeral?
If the person has died at Pendleside Hospice, the hospice politely asks that you do not inform the Funeral Directors that they can come to collect your loved one. Instead the hospice will contact your chosen funeral directors when the deceased is ready. This is due to certain checks that need to be carried out before they can leave the hospice.
You do not have to wait until you have the MCCD to contact the Funeral Director. Most companies are open seven days a week and they will be happy to visit you at home to give you guidance about the funeral arrangements.
You will need to decide whether the deceased is to be buried or cremated. The deceased may have left instructions about this in their Will or end of life care plan. If not the nearest relative or executor will normally make this decision. There are many types of funeral including direct cremations in which the deceased is taken straight to the crematorium or cemetery without a funeral ceremony.
If you have someone to lead the funeral, such as a Minister, Religious leader, or Humanist Celebrant ask the Funeral Director to find out when they are available before making your arrangements. You do not have to have a religious service, you can design your own non-religious service if you wish.
In Memory Donations
Losing a loved one is a very difficult time and many families choose to limit funeral flowers and invite family and friends to make a donation to a chosen charity in their loved one’s memory instead. Arranging for donations in lieu of flowers can be a wonderful way for loved ones to join you in this celebration of life.
Collecting donations instead of flowers at a funeral can help us continue providing care to local families affected by life-limiting illness ensuring they have the right support they need during difficult times.
In order to help with your collection, we can provide donation boxes if required. Please contact our Fundraising Team on 01282 440141 or email: fundraising@pendleside.org.uk to request your box.
Paying for the Funeral
You need to be aware that when you arrange a funeral you are responsible for paying the bill. You may wish to contact a number of Funeral Directors to compare their prices and what they can offer. They should be able to give you a written quote detailing all their fees.
Funeral payments are normally recoverable from the deceased’s estate.
Most Funeral Directors are members of the associations listed:
National Association of Funeral Directors 0121 711 1343 www.nafd.org.uk
National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors 0345 230 6777 www.saif.org.uk
You may be entitled to some assistance towards the cost of funeral expenses depending on the individuals’ circumstance. The website www.gov.uk provides general information on this.
Alternatively you can contact the Bereavement Service helpline at the Department for Work and Pensions on 0800 731 0469. They will help you to navigate through the benefits system.
Bereavement Support
Pendleside Hospice offers individual bereavement counselling. Please contact our Family Support Team (01282 440102) who will be happy to discuss your situation with you and arrange an assessment if required.
We also have a bereavement group which is held on the first Monday of each month from 6:00pm – 7:30pm at the hospice. If a bank holiday falls on a Monday, the group will meet the following week. This provides an opportunity to explore your thoughts and feelings within a supportive group with other people who have experienced bereavement.
Please contact 01282 440102 if this service is of interest to you.
Bereavement support is also available through our Health, Wellbeing and Rehabilitation service which provides group support including walking and creative craft groups. Please contact the hospice reception via 01282 440100 for further details.
Property and Belongings
If you are the person responsible for or are helping someone to clear a property, we understand that it can feel like a daunting task. Pendleside Hospice can help with this.
There are a number of items that we can collect and sell to raise money for the hospice, including:
• Furniture (Please note that all furniture items must have the relevant fire labels still attached)
• Electrical items (in working order)
• Clothing
• Soft furnishings (except for duvets)
• Living/Dining Room/Kitchen items
• Leisure activity items
• Toys/games
Regrettably we cannot take wheelchairs, commodes, child car seats or bicycle/motorcycle helmets for health and safety reasons.
If you would like to speak to someone about what we can take, please call 01282 451826 for a no obligation chat.
Donation Centre
Our Donation Centre is located at Pendleside Hospice, Colne Road, Burnley.
Sign posts within the hospice grounds will point you to the Donation Centre. All donations are greatly appreciated. The Centre is open Monday to Friday 9am until 5pm and Saturday 10am until 1pm.
Furniture Store
Our Furniture Store also welcomes donations and is based opposite Shimla Spice at Unit 2, 54 Church St, Burnley BB11 2DL.
Tel: 01282 451826
Email: furnitureshop@pendleside.org.uk
Open: Monday-Saturday 9am until 4.30pm
Stopping Junk Mail
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 actively reduce the 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: Pendleside Hospice Bereavement Book
Review Date: May 2026
Publication Date: May 2024
Further Support
Pendleside Hospice Family Support Team
Telephone: 01282 440102
www.pendleside.org.uk
Age UK
Pendle branch: 0300 303 1234
www.ageuk.org.uk
Child Bereavement UK
National helpline: 0800 02 888 40
www.childbereavementuk.org
Citizens Advice
Advice Line: 0800 144 8848
Bacup: 0808 278 7975
Burnley: 01282 450535
Nelson: 01282 616750
www.citizensadvice.org.uk
Cruse Bereavement Care
National helpline: 0808 808 1677
Lancashire branch: 01772 433645
www.cruse.org.uk
Humanist UK
Telephone: 020 7324 3060
www.humanism.org.uk
Samaritans
Available 24hrs everyday Free to call: 116 123
Standard rate call: 0330 094 5717
Text: 07725909090
www.samaritans.org
The Hospice 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 Hospice 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.
This publication has been jointly developed between ourselves and the hospice. 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
