“Memories are the loveliest thing, They last from day to day, They can’t get lost; They don’t wear out, And can’t be given away.”
(Anonymous)
1. Information to help you during a bereavement
We provide sympathetic support and assistance to bereaved relatives and carers to help them through the procedures following the death of a loved one.
This booklet is designed to help you cope with these practical steps over the coming few days or weeks.
We are always willing to make this information available in other formats or languages.
If you need to receive this information in another format or in a language other than English, call Torbay Hospital on 01803 654818 and we can discuss your needs.
How we can help
To ensure that the practical arrangements are handled in a caring, professional and timely manner your healthcare team are able to signpost and support you in contacting the following people:
• Funeral directors (undertakers)
• GPs (General Practitioner)
• Medical Examiners Office
• Registrars
2. What to do if your loved one dies at home
When expectedly someone dies at home during normal practice opening hours, you should call the person’s General Practitioner (GP). If you do not know the name of the GP, the person didn’t have a GP, or if the death happens outside normal GP practice opening hours, call 111 (the NHS none emergency number) instead.
In most cases when someone dies at home and it is expected, the GP will visit to certify the death and will work with the Medical Examiners to provide a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death.
There are occasions when the GP will request a member of the Community Services Clinical Team to verify the person’s death. This verification process allows for the person’s care to be transferred to the Funeral Director. During the verification an examination will be carried out by the Clinical Community Service Team during which families can choose to observe the verification or not.
You can contact a funeral director within a few hours of a death however collection can only be arranged once the death has either been verified by a registered nurse or certified by a GP or out of hours Doctor. Due to the specialist nature of this service on occasions there can be a short delay whilst we ensure that the right health professional attends.
3. What to do if your loved one dies in hospital
Community Hospitals
Your healthcare team will support and advise you on the process following your loved ones passing. If you have a preferred funeral director please advise the team. If you have not yet made this decision one of our funeral director partners will care for your loved one until you have made a decision.
Community Hospital Contact Numbers
Brixham Hospital
Dawlish Hospital
Newton Abbot Hospital
01803 881399
01626 868500
01626 324500
Totnes Hospital 01803 862622
Torbay Hospital
Your loved one will be cared for in our mortuary until the medical certificate of death has been processed.
The mortuary has a private area available should you want to see your loved one whilst under our care.
To arrange this please contact the Bereavement and Mortuary Support team on 01803 654818 between 10:0012:00 or 13:00 and 14:30 on weekdays. Out of these hours please leave a message and one of the team will call you as soon as possible.
Arranging to see your loved one
Some people may wish to visit their loved one following death. This is a highly personal decision and you should give consideration to where and when to see the person that has died.
You can arrange to see your loved one at the funeral home which is a less clinical environment. Should you wish to arrange to see your loved one please contact the funeral director to make an appointment.
Patient Property
If the hospital is holding valuables on behalf of the deceased
Relatives shall be advised that valuables can only be returned to the executor of the Will or, if they are unable to attend, a person nominated in writing by the executor.
Proof of identity (e.g. passport, driving license) is required together with either the original or certified copy of the Will before any items can be released. This will be managed by the cashiers service if your loved one was a patient at Torbay Hospital.
If no Will is held, then the closest Next of Kin may collect any property if the hospital is satisfied they are the correct recipient. An indemnity must be completed and signed. Any property should be collected from the ward.
The Hospital Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care Service
During this time you may feel that you need the support of others. It may help to speak to someone about your feelings. This is often a difficult time for family and friends too and they may be afraid to speak about your loved one for fear of upsetting you. You may need to take the first step and let them know you would like their support.
The Hospital Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care Service are here to support you and, if you wish, they can put you in touch with a minister of your own denomination.
They can be contacted on 01803 656406 or through the main hospital switchboard on 01803 614567.
Patient Advice & Liaison Service (PALS), Torbay Hospital
PALS is available for patients, their families or carers. If you have been unable to resolve a problem by speaking with the healthcare staff directly involved, we can help you with your questions or concerns.
Should you wish to discuss any aspect of the care your loved one received please contact PALS Monday to Friday 9:00am to 4:00pm on:
Telephone: 01803 655838
Email: tsdft.feedback@nhs.net
4. Arranging the Funeral
Following a death it is important that you contact a Funeral Director as soon as you are able, so they can start making preliminary arrangements for you. You can do this even before the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death has been issued.
Funeral Directors are a valuable source of information for you and most Funeral Directors are available seven days a week. They can advise you on registering the death and other issues. Costs of funerals do vary and you may wish to ask for a brochure and price list or compare the costs before making a decision. A funeral can take place in the Funeral Director’s own Chapel. If you wish, the Funeral Director can organise the cremation without your attendance and this can reduce costs considerably.
You may wish to organise things by yourself but please consider asking for help from relatives or a close and trusted friend. They will want to help and support you in any way they can.
Paying for the funeral
Funeral costs are normally recoverable from the deceased’s estate, but the person organising the funeral will be responsible for paying the bill. It is advisable to check where the money will come from before you make any arrangements. Many people now purchase their funeral in advance through a pre-purchased funeral plan. You may need to check if this has been arranged.
Many funeral directors require payment before probate is granted, so ensure you discuss payment from an early stage. Where probate is being requested, many banks and building societies will release money to pay for the funeral before probate is granted but not all.
Where payment for the funeral is difficult, you may be entitled to help with the funeral costs through the Social Fund. There is now a One-Stop contact number at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) (0800 731 0469) which will cancel all DWP benefits, as well as help you establish if you are eligible for help towards costs (a funeral grant) and advise on your eligibility for other benefits.
There is a time limit for claiming bereavement benefits and a funeral grant, so it is important to contact them as soon as possible. Funeral grants have a maximum threshold and not everyone is given the full amount. It is essential to consider this when organising the funeral to prevent running up large costs. You can begin to make your funeral arrangements as soon as you feel able. Before you agree a funeral date you will need to check with the Medical Examiner office whether there is likely to be a delay with the paperwork. Once you have registered the death you can confirm a date for the funeral.
Burial
Most churches have set fees for burials of which your funeral director can advise you. The costs may be higher for the burial of someone who lived outside the parish. Most non-denominational cemeteries are owned by either local authorities or private companies, so fees may vary.
5. Medical Examiners
Medical Examiners are senior medical Doctors who are contracted for a number of sessions a week to undertake medical examiner duties, outside of their usual clinical duties. They are trained in the legal and clinical elements of the death certification process and are independent from your heathcare provider.
The purpose of the medical examiner system is to:
• Provide greater safeguards for the public by ensuring proper scrutiny of all non-coronial deaths.
• Ensure the appropriate referral of deaths to the coroner.
• Provide a better service for the bereaved and an opportunity for them to raise any concerns to a Doctor not involved in the care of the deceased.
• Improve the quality of death certification.
• Improve the quality of mortality data.
Medical Examiner’s office
Telephone: 01803 654489 - 655085
Monday to Friday 10:00 to 14:00 to speak with us.
The Medical Examiners office will call you when they have been notified of the death of your loved one by the GP or a doctor involved in their care.
They will explain the processes outlined in this booklet and will be able to answer any questions you have. They will ask for:
• Your full contact details.
• Whether there will be a cremation or burial.
• The name of the funeral director you will be appointing.
• Some personal history regarding the deceased that we may not be able to obtain from the hospital notes.
• Whether you have any concerns about the circumstances surrounding your loved one’s death, or any concerns regarding the treatment and care they received at the hospital.
PLEASE DO NOT ATTEND THE HOSPITAL OR THE GP TO COLLECT THE PAPERWORK
Do not make an appointment to register the death until you have been advised by the Medical Examiners Service that the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death has been completed.
6. The Medical Certificate of Cause of Death
The Medical Cause of Death Certificate (MCCD) is a legal document and can only be issued by a Doctor who knows the cause of death and was involved in the care of the deceased.
Our Medical Examiner team will arrange for this to be issued to you as quickly as possible, but it is a complex legal process. The Registry Office guidelines suggest that a death be registered within 5 days, but sometimes the process may take longer and mean there is an unavoidable delay in producing the certificate, please do not worry. Our Medical Examiner team will endeavour to finalise the paperwork for you at the earliest opportunity.
Please bear this in mind when making funeral arrangements.
If the Doctor is required to get approval of a cause of death from the Coroner, this may also cause a delay and in this scenario until the cause of death is approved by the Coroner, our Medical Examiner team will not have permission to issue the medical certificate.
You will be requested to make an appointment at a registry office so that the death can be registered.
7. The Coroner
The Coroner is a Lawyer or Doctor responsible for investigating some deaths. A death may be reported to the Coroner by either the Doctor or the Registrar of deaths. There are a number of reasons why a death might be referred to the Coroner.
For example:
• All deaths where there has been any invasive surgical procedure during the latest admission which has contributed to death.
• The death may be due to trauma e.g. a fall with fractured neck of femur or a head injury.
• Cause of death is unknown.
• The death may be due to self-neglect or neglect by others.
• The death may be due to an industrial disease (e.g. Mesothelioma) or related to the deceased’s employment.
• For any other concerning features. If the Coroner does not wish to carry out a post mortem they will issue a certificate (Form A) for the registrar of deaths.
You will be advised if your loved one will come under the care of the Coroner and a Coroners Officer will guide and update you through the process until such time your loved one comes back under the care of the Hospital.
The Coroner’s Office can be contacted on: 01752 487402. The Coroner’s Office normal working hours are Monday to Fridays 7.30am to 3.00pm.
8. Organ and tissue donation
Many people will have made a decision, in life, about organ or tissue donation. Your loved one may have discussed their thoughts with you. It is very possible that they can help others through donating tissue (eyes for corneal transplants and/or heart for valve transplants) following their death. The donation will not delay funeral plans as the procedure must be carried out quickly, within 24 hours of death for eyes and heart valves. Eye donation does not alter the appearance of your loved one.
If you know their wishes about organ donation or would like to find out more, please contact Tissues National Referral 0800 4320559 or for information regarding tissue donation please visit www.nhsbt.nhs.uk
Eyes: Eyes can help restore sight to people with cornea problems (the clear part of the eye). This may be a result of damage caused by eye disease or injury, or defects from birth, and the white part of the eye (the sclera) can be used in operations to rebuild the eye.
Heart Valves: Heart valves can be transplanted to save the lives of children born with heart defects, and adults with damaged heart valves. Each donation can help at least two people to see again and sometimes more. Some people find that donating tissue for transplant can help the grieving process.
If you would like to discuss this further or find out more please contact any one of the following:
• The Mortuary Team on 01392 403060
• A doctor or nurse involved in the care of your loved one
9. Registering the death
Registering a death takes place at a Registrars Office. The Death Certificate is created at this appointment and the death is officially recorded.
In order to register the death you must be either a relative of the deceased or the person making the funeral arrangements. You may wish to take someone along to support you whilst making the arrangements.
Paignton Registrars
Telephone: 01083 207130
Should your loved one have died in the wider Devon locality, Devon County Council Registration Service
Telephone: 0345 155 1002
A Registrar will talk to you in private about the person who has died and you will need to know the following information:
• The full names and surname (correctly spelt) and the maiden surname if the deceased is a woman who had married.
• Their date and place of death.
• Their date and place of birth (it may be helpful to take their Birth Certificate).
• Their previous occupation (and if the deceased was a married woman or a widow, the name and occupation of her husband).
• Their usual address.
• Whether they received a pension or allowance from public funds.
• The date of birth of a surviving widow or widower if the deceased was married.
• Their NHS (medical) card if available.
This information is entered into the register and the person registering the death must sign this with their usual signature, using special registrar’s ink. You will be required to read the entry so please make sure you have your reading glasses if you use them.
The Registrar offers a “tell us once” service which alerts other government agencies to a death.
You will then be given two forms:
A certificate of registration of death - Form BD8 (‘white form’). This is different from the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. Please read the information on the back of the form, fill it in and send it to your local social security office.
The address of your local social security office can be obtained by ringing the Department of Work and Pensions national customer service number 0845 6060 265.
A certificate for burial or cremation (‘green form’). This is for your funeral director and authorises them to make arrangements on your behalf.
You will need to get copies of the death certificate for a number of official purposes. We cannot say how many you will need as individual circumstances vary, but as examples you may need copies for such things as insurance, premium bonds, bank accounts and private pensions.
There is a fee for providing copies of the death certificate: please ask us for advice of the current charges. Please note that there is no free copy of the certificate.
10. Other considerations
People you may need to notify:
Legal/Financial
q Bank/Building Society
q Solicitor
Employment/Pension
q Dept of Work & Pensions
q Social Security office
q Inland Revenue
Domestic & Personal
q TV Licensing
q Gas/Electricity/Water
q Newspaper/Milkman
q Telephone company
q Rental companies
Items that may need returning:
q Pensions/Benefits books
q Driving Licence
q NHS equipment on loan
q Store cards/loyalty cards
q Bus pass/blue badge
q Insurance companies
q Credit card companies
q Employer
q Trade Union
q Vehicle Licensing
q Council Offices
q Cancel appointments
q Clubs/Associations
q Royal Mail deliveries
q Passport
q National Insurance card
q Library cards/season tickets
There are various people, companies and other interested parties who need to be informed of the death, especially if the deceased lived alone. The Register Office offer a “Tell Us Once” service and they can inform the following:
• DWP Benefits and Pensions.
• HMRC Tax Office.
• Passport Agency - to cancel a passport.
• Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency - to cancel a driving licence.
• Veterans’ Agency - War Pension.
• Local Authority Services, such as; Council Tax, Housing Benefit, Electoral Services, Library Services, Blue Badge Department, Adult Social Services, Bus Passes.
To book an appointment, please contact your local register office and ask for a Tell Us Once appointment. You will need to bring the National Insurance number of the person you are notifying us about, and if applicable, their passport, driving licence, blue badge, bus pass, and library card.
Other people that will need to be contacted by you are:
• Local Social Services if meals on wheels, home help, day centre transport were used.
• Any other hospital the person was attending.
• Any employer or trade union.
• A child’s or young person’s teacher.
• Employer or college.
• Car insurance company. People driving a car insured in the deceased’s name are not legally insured.
• Local offices of gas, electricity, telephone company, Royal Mail deliveries, local newsagents and milkman.
• Professional organisations.
• Private landlord.
If there was any NHS equipment being used it will need to be returned to either the hospital or health centre from where it came.
11. Other help available
We want to support you through this difficult time.
As part of the Trust’s commitment to continuous improvement, we invite you to provide your views on the quality of care that your loved one received during their time with us. We are always happy to hear about experiences that have exceeded the expectations of patients and loved ones. We are also very keen to learn when we could have done better to meet the needs of our patients.
Where you wish thanks or praise to be passed on, we will ensure that happens. If you have concerns, we will look into the matter for you.
Alternatively, you can contact,
• Face-to-face with the staff who have given you this booklet
• Community Hospitals:
Brixham Hospital 01803 881399
Dawlish Hospital 01626 868500
Newton Abbot Hospital 01626 324500
Totnes Hospital 01803 862622
• By telephone: the Patient Advice & Liaison Service (PALS) are contactable on 01803 655838 weekdays between 9:004:00
• The Hospital Chaplaincy is a team of experienced Chaplains and volunteers drawn from a range of religious and belief traditions.
For details of our Chaplaincy service please call 01803 656406 or through the main hospital switchboard on 01803 614567 and ask them to contact the Chaplaincy.
You can also ask your own Pastor, Minister, Priest or other religious or spiritual leader to contact them on your behalf.
You may wish to contact other services and organisations such as those listed below for ongoing help and support following your bereavement:
• Age UK 01803 555 181
• Stop Mail (Is a service specifically designed to remove the names and addresses of people who have died from databases and mailing files)
Please visit www.stopmail.co.uk or collect a leaflet from the Bereavement Team.
• Carers UK Advice and support for carers 0808 808 7777
• Citizens Advice Bureau 03444 111444
• CRUSE Bereavement Care 0808 808 1677
• Compassionate Friends 0345 123 2304
• Samaritans 116 123
• SANDS (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society) 0808 164 3332
• Sudden Death Support Association 01484 559909
• Winston’s Wish 08088 020 021.
12. 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.
This free of charge service provided by the Bereavement Support Network will actively reduce unwanted marketing mail and 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.
13. Grief in Children and Adolescents
Generally children do not understand the meaning of death until they are three or four years old. However, they feel the sense of loss of a close relative or friend in much the same way as adults. Even in infancy, it is clear that children grieve and feel great distress. Children experience the passage of time differently to adults and can appear to overcome grief more quickly. However, children in their early school years may need reassuring that they are not responsible for the death of a close relative as they often blame themselves for one reason or another.
It is important that the grief of a young person is not overlooked as they will often not want to burden parents by talking about their feelings. It can be helpful to include them in the arrangements.
14. After the funeral
Although settling the estate of the one who has died can be confusing and distressing, obtaining probate for the estate through the Probate Registry can be quite simple, though a little time consuming. This can reduce costs considerably for the Executor. (Probate is the court’s authority to administer a deceased person’s estate). If you are the Executor, it is your responsibility to see that the person’s wishes, as you understand them, are carried out. This will include payment of funeral expenses, debts and taxes, as well as the disposal of their possessions and assets.
If it seems likely to be complex it may be worth using solicitors and accountants to sort it all out. Fees will be charged for those services and they will come out of the estate. You will need to make it clear precisely what work they need to do for you.
Whilst this is going on, access to monies in the estate can be difficult but banks and building societies may write a cheque out of the estate to cover funeral expenses even before probate is granted.
For those who have been close relatives or friends the process of adjustment to their loss may take a while. Try to avoid making hasty decisions during this time, especially if you are living alone.
Booklet ref: Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust Community Hospitals and Nursing Bereavement Booklet
Review date: December 2026
Publication date: December 2024
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.
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.
We understand how expensive funerals can be and we specialise in providing a valued service.
In recent years families have increasingly chosen more straightforward options. We can connect you with a local partner who can o er a simple and digni ed cremation from £990.00, as well as more traditional funerals where we can add personal touches to re ect your wishes.
To discuss how we can provide a discreet and caring service for your
and con rm a xed price:
