Raigmore Hospital by bereavementadvice

Highland

When someone has died at Raigmore Hospital Local help for you

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Contents What do I need to do first?...................................................................................................... 1 Raigmore Hospital Bereavement Office......................................................... 2 Registration Information.......................................................................................................... 3 When and how do I register the death?.......................................................... 4 Who can register the death?............................................................................................ 4 What documents do I need?............................................................................................ 5 What details do I need to bring?................................................................................. 6 What will the registrar give me?.................................................................................. 7 Tell Us Once death notification service............................................................ 8 Inverness Registrars Office - Location Map.............................................. 10 What does a review of the ‘Medical Certificate of Cause of Death’ involve?....................................................................................................... 11 Order of things to do flow chart.................................................................................... 13 Chaplaincy services........................................................................................................................... 14 How to organise a funeral:...................................................................................................... 15 How do I arrange the funeral?....................................................................................... 15 How do I plan the funeral?.................................................................................................. 16 How to pay for the funeral.................................................................................................... 17 Checklist of who to tell about the death........................................................... 19 Stopping junk mail to the recently deceased.......................................... 20 Ways to help someone who has been bereaved................................ 21 Local services and resources............................................................................................ 22 National services and resources.................................................................................. 23

When someone close to you dies, you maybe unsure of what to do. We hope this booklet will help you through the first few days.

What do I need to do first? •

You will need to tell close family and friends what has happened.

•

You will need to know that the death certificate has been completed. This is sometimes called the ‘Medical Certificate of Cause of Death’ (MCCD) or ‘Form 11’ from the doctor.

•

All deaths must be registered and you will need the ‘Medical Certificate of Cause of Death’ (MCCD) in order to do this. Once completed it will be sent by the Hospital to the Registrar’s Office.

•

The MCCD must be checked by a Senior Consultant in the hospital before being issued to the family so it is not always possible for the MCCD to be completed the same day as death. If it is not available the ward staff can give you an indication of when it should be ready.

•

You should think about the funeral. If you wish, you can contact a Funeral Director before you register the death. It is best not to delay making contact with the Funeral Director.

•

You should try to find the Will of the person who has died. If you can’t find it, check if a Solicitors holds a copy.

Raigmore Hospital Bereavement Office Bereavement Office Management Corridor Ground Floor Zone 6 Tel: 01463 705 152 Mobile: 07890569141 Email: nhsh.bereavementservice@nhs.scot

ZONE 9

ZONE 6

Dining Room

Lifts/Stairs

ZONE 8

ZONE 2

Maggie’s

ZONE 7

ZONE 10

ZONE 3

Centre for Health Science

Old Perth Road

ZONE 12

ZONE 4 ZONE 1

ZONE 5

Café Emergency Outpatients Department Entrance

Old Perth Road

Car Parks

B906

Café Wards & Departments Main Entrance

ZONE 11

B906

Registration Information There is no charge to do a death registration and there is no charge for the Form 14 which is issued for the purpose of burial and cremation; Registrars normally email the Form 14 direct to the funeral director following completion of the registration. An abbreviated death extract (certificate) is issued free of charge to the informant and this may be used to close an ordinary bank account in Scotland. Full death certificates cost £10.00 each in the first month following registration (£15.00 each thereafter) and they include address, cause of death, parent and spouse details, occupations and name and address of the informant. They can be purchased at the time of registration or any time in the future. We offer the Tell Us Once (TUO) service for all death registrations of UK residents – this is a voluntary free to use service. Regarding the registration process itself, families currently have options: • To register completely “remotely” using phone (and email when available) as we have been doing during the pandemic and continue to do. • To register in the office in person, subject to availability and by appointment only. As an interview room is required for “in person” appointments there may be a delay in getting an appointment so “remote” registrations are encouraged and this often suits bereaved families who may not live near an office or find it easy to attend in person. 3

When and how do I register the death? •

The death of someone close can be overwhelming and you may need help to do all these things. Relatives, friends or neighbours can support you.

•

A priest, minister or religious leader may also be able to help you or tell you where you can find help.

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Spiritual care/bereavement support can be obtained from the Chaplaincy Service in Raigmore but practical advice on dealing with a death/bereavement should be done through the Bereavement Service who can refer you to a Chaplain if required.

•

You must register the death within eight days. You can do this at any Registrar’s Office in Scotland.

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All registration offices in Highland now require an appointment to be made or “remotely” using phone (and email when available) as we have been doing during the pandemic and continue to do.

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You can find the contact details of local Registrar’s Offices at the back of this booklet, in the telephone book or online at www.gro-scotland.gov.uk

Who can register the death? •

A close relative or partner would normally register the death. An executor, someone who was present at the death, or the occupier of the property where the person died can also register the death.

•

However, anyone can register the death as long as they have the information that is needed. So if you feel too upset, you can ask someone else to do this. 4

What documents do I need? To register the death, you will need to know that the ‘Medical Certificate of Cause of Death’ has been completed and sent to the Registrar’s Office. It is helpful if you can also take: •

The person’s birth certificate and marriage or civil partnership certificate(s)

•

Their NHS medical card and any documents about a state pension or any social security benefits.

Don’t worry if you don’t have all these documents. The Registrar will still be able to register the death.

What details do I need to bring? Details needed for registration: •

Full name including middle names, occupation, postal address of the deceased person and their date and country of birth including how long they were resident there.

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If the deceased was a married man, widower or divorced, the full name of his wife or former wife.

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If the deceased was a married woman, a widow or divorced, the full name and occupation of her husband or former husband.

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If the deceased has been married more than once, particulars of previous spouses are also required.

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Date of birth of husband, wife or civil partner.

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If the deceased had a civil partner, or had previously been in a civil partnership, the details of the civil partner.

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If the deceased was in a relationship at the date of death, the date of birth of the surviving widow, widower or partner.

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The full name and occupation of the deceased person’s father and the full name and maiden surname of the deceased’s mother.

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The name and address of the deceased’s own doctor.

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Deceased NHS number (not their National Insurance number). Can be obtained from GP or on Medical Card.

What will the Registrar give me? When you register the death, the Registrar will give you a number of documents, free of charge: •

A certificate of registration of death (Form 14). You should give this to your Funeral Director.

•

A green social security registration or notification of death certificate (From 334/S1). You will need this if the person who dies received a state pension or any social security benefits.

•

A abbreviated version of the death certificate.

You can also buy copies of the full death certificate. Some organisations may ask for this, for example, insurance companies or banks. There is a charge of £10 each in the first month following registration (£15.00 each thereafter). It is helpful to work out if you need more that one copy when you are at the Registrar’s Office. For more information, go to the General Register Office for Scotland’s website www.gro-scotland.gov.uk or ask someone at the local Registrar’s Office.

Tell Us Once death notification service This is a free to use voluntary service offered by local councils on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions to report bereavements to most government organisations in one go. The quicker you complete the death notification the quicker those organisations you wish to notify will update their records. Use this service to notify any of the following organisations: • HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) - to deal with tax and cancel benefits • Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) - to cancel benefits or entitlements, for example Income Support or State Pension • His Majesty’s Passport Office - to cancel a British passport • Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) - to cancel a driving licence 

and if using the online service; to remove the person as the keeper for up to five vehicles (Road Tax is not transferable you must re-tax the vehicle before it is driven)

• the local council - to cancel Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit, a Blue Badge, inform council housing services and remove the person from the electoral register • armed forces pension schemes - to stop pension payments

Before you use Tell Us Once You’ll need the following details of the person who died, not necessarily all of them depending on which organisations you wish to inform: • date of birth • driving licence number and/or vehicle registration number • passport number, town and country of birth • their National Insurance number (if you want to notify Local Government Pension Fund you will need the deceased’s National Insurance number, as it is used to locate the appropriate fund) • details of any benefits or entitlements they were getting, for example State Pension • details of any local council services they were getting, for example Blue Badge • details of any public sector or armed forces pension schemes they were getting or paying into

Inverness Registrars Office - Location map Inverness

The Highland Archive and Registration Centre Bught Road Inverness IV3 5SS

01349 781131

2 A8

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TORVE AN AV ENU E

inverness.registrars@highlands.gov.uk

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Queens Park

Bught Park Caravan Park & Campsite

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Canal Park

Ness Islands Railway Co

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Bught Road Inverness IV3 5SS

Whin Park

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Inverness Registrars Office

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Inverness Ice Centre

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Inverness Leisure

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Raigmore Hospital

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What does a review of the ‘Medical Certificate of Cause of Death’ involve? What is changing? A national review system of ‘Medical Certificate of Cause of Death’ began on Wednesday 13th May 2015 to provide independent checks on the quality and accuracy of such certificates. All deaths not referred to the Procurator Fiscal or relating to a still birth will be subject to random selection for review by Health Information Scotland medical reviewers, an organisation independent of NHS Highland. What form will the reviews take? There will be two main categories of review: Level one review

Level two review

•

Expected to be completed • in one working day.

Expected to be completed in three working days.

•

Will apply to about 10% of non-Fiscal or still birth deaths.

•

Will apply to approximately 1,000 deaths a year (Scotland-wide).

What does that mean for me? •

The doctor who certifies the death will explain the content of the ‘Medical Certificate of Cause of Death’ to you. You can ask questions of the doctor or nurse.

•

If the death is not a still birth of a baby or a sudden death which involves referral to the Procurator Fiscal, you may be advised that the certificate has been selected for a random review when you take it to the Registrar. You do not have to do anything at this point.

•

The review relates to the quality and accuracy of the ‘Medical Certificate of Cause of Death’ and involves the independent medical reviewers contacting the certifying doctor. The Registrar will contact you as soon as the review has taken place to allow you to proceed to the Certificate of Registration of Death (Form 14) and then to arrange the funeral.

•

You need not delay in contacting a Funeral Director even if a review is taking place. The time of the funeral cannot, however, be confirmed until the Form 14 has been issued.

(Please see flow chart on page 13)

Death occurs

The MCCD can be completed by certifying doctor and a signed paper copy is sent to the Registrar’s Office. If also completed electronically, the information is transferred to NRS and the selection process may begin at this point

Death is reported to the Procurator Fiscal

Yes

Case selected for level 1 review (normally completed within 1 working day) 10%

Family attend Registrars Office MCCD is randomly selected for review

Death is registered

Certificate of Registration of Death (Form 14) is issued

Funeral can now take place 13

Case selected for level 2 review (normally completed within 3 working days) approximately 1,000 deaths per year

Chaplaincy services The chaplains can provide support for patients, families and friends before and around death. They can also offer guidance to bereaved relatives following death. A chaplain is on duty 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week. Contact details Raigmore Hospital 01463 704463 For Chaplaincy services out-of-hours, contact the switchboard at Raigmore Hospital on 01463 704000 and ask them to page the duty chaplain. Members of staff can contact the chaplain on your behalf. For Chaplaincy services during office hours please contact 01463 704463.

How to organise a funeral How do I arrange a funeral? •

You can speak to a Funeral Director as soon as you feel ready.

•

You do not have to wait until you receive the ‘Medical Certificate of Cause of Death’ from the hospital or the death has been registered before you contact a Funeral Director. You do, however, have to register the death and receive Form 14 before you make the final arrangements for the funeral.

•

Do not feel you have to rush. Taking your time may make planning the funeral easier and the exact date of the service will probably be decided by factors outside your control, for example, the availability of the Funeral Director, minister, crematorium or cemetery and the completion of any review of the ‘Medical Certificate of Cause of Death’.

•

You can find the contact details for local Funeral Directors at the back of this booklet, online and in the telephone book.

•

You do not have to use a Funeral Director, although most people find this helpful.

•

If you wish to make some arrangements yourself, the Natural Death Centre can provide support and information.

The Scottish Government has released a leaflet entitled Arranging a Funeral? which provides advice and includes a note of useful publications and contacts when making funeral arrangements. This can be found on the Scottish Government website and gives much general information and other sources of help. 15

How do I plan the funeral? It might help if you consider a few questions: 1. Did the person who died make any requests or leave instructions for their funeral? 2. Who should be involved in planning the funeral? You could speak to family and friends about this. 3. Will it be a burial or cremation? Where will it take place? 4. Who will conduct the ceremony? If the person died in hospital, the Chaplaincy service can give you advice and support, or put you in touch with representatives of religious and non-religious organisations. Ward staff can contact the chaplains for you. A chaplain is available 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week to offer advice and support. 5. Will you put a death notice in any newspaper? What would you like it to say? It can help to think about this before you meet with the Funeral Director, who will handle this for you. You can ask a Funeral Director for advice on all matters.

How to pay for the funeral Funeral costs vary and you may wish to ask several funeral directors about the service they provide. Funeral directors should explain their costs and give you a written estimate. Before meeting the Funeral Director, you should try to think about how to pay for the funeral. 1. Find out if the person who died: •

Made arrangements to pay for the funeral for example, with a life assurance policy or a prepaid funeral plan.

•

Left enough money to pay for the funeral. Funeral costs have first claim on any remaining estate.

2. If no money is available and you get benefits or tax credits, you may be able to apply for a ‘Funeral payment’ from the Social Fund. You should: •

Ask someone at your local Jobcentre Plus if you qualify for this or call the Department of Work and Pensions on 0800 731 0469.

•

Tell the Funeral Director as soon as possible if you want to apply.

3. If your wife, husband or civil partner has died you may be able to apply for a benefit called a ‘Bereavement payment’. You should ask at the local Jobcentre Plus if you qualify for this or call the Department of Work and Pensions. 4. You can find out more about this on the ‘Bereavement payment’ section on the www.gov.uk website. 17

5. A new benefit providing help for people on low incomes to meet the costs of a funeral will be available from 16 September 2019. Funeral Support Payment will be delivered by Social Security Scotland and will replace the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Funeral Expense Payment for people living in Scotland. More information can be found at mygov.scot/benefits The ‘Funeral payment’ and ‘Bereavement payment’ are subject to conditions and you should not assume you are eligible. If no one is able to arrange and pay for the funeral, the local council may be able to.

Checklist of who to tell about the death Bank, building society or insurance companies Credit/store card companies Solicitor Landlord or housing provider

If in rented accommodation

Employer or Trades Union Pension provider Utility suppliers Internet, mobile and landline provider Family doctor (GP), dentist, optician

Cancel future appointments

Other health/social services

Uplift equipment or cancel services no longer required

Unused medicines

Return to community pharmacist

Clubs and associations

Cancel membership

Libraries

Return any books, cancel membership

Blue Badge

Return to Social Work Department

Bus/rail travel companies

Cancel pass

Passport Agency

Return passport

Stopmail

stopmail.co.uk

Sky TV, Store Point cards (Tesco, Boots, etc)

Stopping Junk Mail to the recently deceased 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.

Ways to help someone who has been bereaved •

Be present and attentive to the bereaved person.

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Allow for moments of silence and reflection.

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Listen in a non-judgemental and accepting way.

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Avoid the use of clichés such as ‘Think of all the good times’.

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Mention the deceased person’s name and encourage the bereaved person to talk about them.

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Offer practical and emotional support, for example, by looking after children or cooking a meal.

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Understanding that tears are normal and a healthy part of the grieving process.

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Don’t try to fill in conversations with a lot of outside news.

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Remember that grief may take years to work through.

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Acknowledge anniversaries and dates of significance for the bereaved person.

Local services and resources These are some websites and telephone contacts which provide support in bereavement. Counselling Directory

www.counselling-directory.org.uk

A website for local counselling services in the Highlands. Highland Hospice (Crocus Group)

www.highlandhospice.org Tel: 01463 714568 Crocus House, Ness House, Highland Hospice, 1 Bishops Road Inverness IV3 5SB.

A local charity in Inverness, who are here to help and support the bereaved child or young person. Cruse Bereavement Care www.crusescotland.org.uk Scotland Tel: 0808 802 6161 A website for local counselling services to the Highlands Highland Hospice

www.highlandhospice.org Tel: 01463 243132

Inverness Crematorium

www.highland.gov.uk Tel: 01463 644450

Samaritans

Caithness Tel: 116 123 7 Riverside Place, Thurso KW14 8BZ Inverness Tel: 116 123 67a Tomnahurich Street Inverness IV3 5DT

National services and resources These are some websites which provide support in bereavement. NHS inform Bereavement Zone

www.nhsinform.scot/care-supportand-rights/death-and-bereavement

The Bereavement Zone can help you find answers to your questions and guide you through the early days of your bereavement. It can also help you understand more of the experience of loss in the days that lie ahead. Good Life, Good Death, www.goodlifedeathgrief.org.uk Good Grief Telephone: 0131 272 2735 Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief is working to make Scotland a place where there is more openness about death, dying and bereavement so that: •

People are aware of ways to live with death, dying and bereavement.

•

People feel better equipped to support each other through the difficult times that can come with death, dying and bereavement.

Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland PETAL - People Experiencing Trauma and Loss Public Health Scotland

www.crusescotland.org.uk Tel: 0808 802 6161 www.petalsupport.com Tel: 01698 324502 www.healthscotland.scot

SOBS - Survivors of www.uksobs.org Bereavement by Suicide Scottish Association for www.samh.org.uk Mental Health (SAMH) Calman Cancer www.cancersupportscotland.org Support Centre Maggie’s Centres www.maggies.org Bereavement Support Miscarriage Association www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk Sudden - Supporting people after sudden death The Compassionate Friends - Dealing with the death of a child British Heart Foundation Bereavement Support Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS) Winston’s Wish - the charity for bereaved children Child Bereavement UK

www.sudden.org

www.tcf.org.uk www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/wellbeing/end-of-life-care www.chas.org.uk www.winstonswish.org www.childbereavement.org

Reference: NHS Highland Hospitals Bereavement Guide Publication Date: August 2023

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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,�port network 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.