HELPING YOU COPE WITH BEREAVEMENT
South Tyneside Hospital
Introduction
We would like to express our sympathy to you at this sad time. When someone dies there are many decisions and arrangements to be made and this can feel overwhelming. This booklet aims to provide some useful help and practical advice during the early days of your bereavement. It gives guidance on who can help and where further information can be obtained.
Tissue donation
Most people are aware that hundreds of lives are saved every year by donated organs, such as hearts and kidneys. Many people do not realise that donated tissues such as skin, bone, and heart valves can dramatically improve the quality of life for others, and even save them.
If specific instructions have been left by the deceased regarding tissue and organ donation then this should be notified to ward staff. However, a person’s wishes regarding tissue donation can still be respected even after death e.g. in the case of corneal and heart valve transplantation. If you have any questions please consult ward staff.
Practical Arrangements Following a Death
Registering the death
When a patient dies we issue a Medical Certificate of Cause of death (MCCD). This is a document that explains why we think that person passed away. The MCCD is sent to the Registrar and allows the death to be registered.
Before the MCCD is issued there is an independent review of each patient’s medical problems and care. This helps doctors to decide what is written on the MCCD. Sometimes the coroner’s office does this review if there are any concerns/underlying health problems that require their input, but otherwise this review is undertaken by a Medical Examiner (ME). The Medical Examiners are a separate team of consultant grade doctors or GPs who were not involved in the patients care. They work with a team of Medical Examiner officers (MEOs).
A member of either the ME or coroner’s team will contact you on the telephone. They will explain what we will be writing on the death certificate, offer you a chance to ask any questions that you have and explain if any further investigation is needed.
This phone call will occur during normal working hours and be within 24-48 hours after the death (excluding weekends/bank holidays).
If you have not heard anything within this timeframe it is best to call the ME office (0191 2024006) and they will be able to update you.
You do not need to attend the hospital to pick up any paperwork as this will be sent via email to the registrars.
You should not make an appointment to register a death before you hear from the ME office or the Coronial team. You cannot register a death without a completed MCCD. They will guide you through the next steps and explain how to do this when they speak to you.
It is important to note that the death must be registered in the Borough where the death occurred.
Once you have made an appointment to register the death you can contact a Funeral Director of your choice to make arrangements for the service.
Registering a death in South Tyneside and Sunderland
The death must be registered in the district where it occurred. If it occurred in the Sunderland Registration District, you will register the death with the Sunderland Registration Service. Alternatively, if the death occurred in the South Tyneside Registration District, you will register the death with the South Tyneside Registration Service. To make an appointment, contact the appropriate office below.
South Tyneside Registration Office
10 Broughton Road, South Shields, Tyne & Wear NE33 2RN
Tel: 0191 424 6350
E-Mail: registrars@southtyneside.gov.uk
Sunderland Registration Office
City Hall, Plater Way, Sunderland SR1 3DP
Tel: 0191 520 5553
E-Mail: registrars@sunderland.gov.uk
Burial or Cremation
The Funeral Director will need to know whether you wish for a burial or cremation to be organised as each require different forms to be completed. If you are unsure and wish to spend time discussing this further at home, then please let the Funeral Director know as soon as you have reached a decision. You will need to make this decision before registering the death, it may be useful to establish the wishes of the person who has died perhaps by consulting their Will or other instructions which may have been left.
Tell Us Once
Tell Us Once is a service that lets you tell multiple government organisations at once about a death. This service is free, please ask the registrar about this at the time of registration and the registrar will advise you how to access this.
Chaplaincy
A member of the Chaplaincy team is available to speak to and can be contacted via the hospital switchboard on (0191) 5656256. You may also want to contact bereavement groups outside the hospital and the Chaplains can signpost you to these.
If you feel you need further support please refer to the support groups listed at the end of this book.
Family Doctor (GP)
The hospital doctor will inform the GP of your loved ones death and they may be able to offer you support and further information. Your GP may be able to refer you to a specialist bereavement counsellor, or they may encourage you to contact one of the voluntary groups in or around Sunderland and South Tyneside.
Coroner
Sometimes we need to refer a patient to the coroner after they die. There are several different reasons why this may be necessary.
Once this referral has been made a member of the coronial team will speak directly to a loved one to get some further information. They will explain what will happen next with regards to issuing a death certificate or if further information is needed.
Please give us feedback
At Sunderland and South Tyneside we value your views.
Scan the QR code to complete a survey about your experiences:
South Tyneside –
Link: https://bit.ly/3mMf5pu
Sunderland –
Link: https://bit.ly/3oWG0jr
Please contact Clinical Effectiveness for a paper copy on 0800 0327643.
Important Contact Details:
Hospital Switchboard:
Sunderland (0191) 565 6256
South Tyneside (0191) 404 1000
Chaplaincy:
Sunderland (0191) 5656256 extension 49180, 0191 569 9180 (direct number)
South Tyneside (0191) 404 1000 pager 1337, 0191 4041276 (direct number)
Patient’s Property Office:
Sunderland (0191) 569 9171
South Tyneside (0191) 404 1000
Registrar’s Service:
Sunderland City Council: (0191) 520 5553 or www.sunderland.gov.uk
South Tyneside Council: (0191) 424 6350 or www.southtyneside.gov.uk
H.M. Coroner:
Sunderland: (0191) 561 7843
South Tyneside: (0191) 426 8181
Medical Examiner (Support Officers): (0191) 202 4006
Useful Contact Details:
Sunderland Counselling Service: (0191) 514 7007
South Tyneside Counselling Service
Cruse 0808 808 1677 www.cruse.org.uk
Stopping Junk Mail www.stopmail.co.uk
Advice, support and comfort for the bereaved at: www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/Death/ WhatToDoAfterADeath/index.htm
Age UK
0800 678 1602 www.ageuk.org.uk
The Compassionate Friends
0345 123 2304 www.tcf.org.uk
Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide
0300 111 5065 www.uksobs.com
Samaritans 116 123 www.samaritans.org
Bereavement Advice Centre 0800 634 9494 www.bereavementadvice.org
WAY Widowed and Young www.widowedandyoung.org.uk
The Coroner’s Court Support Service
0300 111 2141
helpline@ccss.org.uk
A service staffed by volunteers offering free confidential emotional and practical help to bereaved families attending a Coroner’s Court in England.
Sudden www.sudden.org
Online help for relatives and close friends of people who have died suddenly. It provides helpful information gathered by people who have experienced a sudden and tragic loss and would like to help others in their time of need.
Useful websites
www.nhs.uk
www.stsft.nhs.uk
This information was correct at the time of printing. While the Trust makes every reasonable effort to keep its information leaflets up to date, very recent changes may not yet be reflected in the guidance and you should discuss this with the clinical staff at the time of your appointment.
Date of publication: December 2024
Review date: December 2026
© South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
Helping you with bereavement (South Tyneside) - STSFT/1374
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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stopping mail
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.
