Ealing Hospital Bereavement Booklet

The staff of London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust would like to offer their sincere condolences on the loss of your relative/friend.

We appreciate that this will be a difficult time for you and want to be able to help and assist you as much as we can.

At this difficult time we aim to provide sympathetic support and assistance to bereaved relatives and friends to help them through the procedures following the death of a patient at the hospital.

This booklet is designed to give practical guidance regarding the first steps that need to be taken following the death of your relative or friend.

Contents Next steps – a quick guide

1

Mortuary – visiting a loved one after they have died 2 Bereavement Service

3

Tissue Donation

4

Hospital Chaplains

5

The Medical Examiner

6

When the Coroner is involved

7

Registering the death

8

Who do I need to tell?

11

Arranging the funeral

12

Stopping junk mail to the recently deceased

14

Wills and estates

15

Further advice and support

16

Next steps – a quick guide 1. Please telephone Ealing Hospital Bereavement Service on 020 8967 5367. (There is no need to come to Ealing Hospital, as it does not issue any paperwork.)

2. A Medical Certificate of Cause of Death will be completed by a hospital doctor and reviewed and confirmed by the Medical Examiner.

3. A Medical Examiner Officer will telephone you and explain the cause of death.

4. The Medical Certificate of Cause of Death will be e-mailed to the LB Ealing Register Office.

5. You will need to contact the Register Office to make an appointment to register the death on 020 8825 7730 or at www.ealing.gov.uk/registrar 6. Death certificates can be purchased from the Registrar for a fee of £12.50 per certificate.

7. The Registrar will issue a Green Form (the Certificate for Burial or Cremation) to your funeral director.

8. The Registrar will provide you with a Tell Us Once Service reference number to use online to notify central government and local council services about the death.

9. If the deceased’s faith or religious belief requires an urgent funeral within 24 hours a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death can be issued out of hours. Please inform the ward team if this is required.

10. Coroner referral – in certain situations the hospital cannot issue the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death and will report the death to the North London Coroner. The Medical Examiner Officer will provide your contact details to the Coroner’s Office who will contact you directly to explain the next steps.

1

Mortuary – visiting a loved one after they have died Our compassionate team will keep your loved one safe and ensure they are treated with dignity and respect until they are transferred into the care of your nominated funeral director.

You may be able to visit your loved one in the mortuary by appointment. The visiting suite is open 10:00 to 15:00 Monday to Friday only and the appointments last for 30 minutes. Hours can vary due to certain circumstances.

You will need to give details about your loved one when arranging an appointment. This will include their full name, date of birth, date of death and home address. To avoid disappointment, it is essential to book an appointment before travelling to the hospital.

To discuss arranging an appointment in the mortuary please call 020 8967 5325.

2

Bereavement Service You will need to contact the Bereavement Service on 020 8967 5367 the next working day following the death between the hours of 09:30 and 16:30. (Please note we are open Monday to Friday and are closed at weekends and bank holidays).

The doctor will complete the paperwork in a timely manner, however this needs to be completed by a doctor who directly cared for your relative/friend whilst they were in the hospital and they may not always be immediately available.

Once the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) is completed it will be passed to the Medical Examiner for an independent review which has to be completed within 24 hours. The Bereavement Service will call you to confirm that this is complete to enable you to make an appointment to register the death.

In some circumstances the death may need to be referred to the Coroner’s Office. This is nothing to worry about and is often standard procedure.

If your relative/friend’s faith requires them to be buried or cremated within 24 hours, or as soon as possible, please advise the Bereavement Service who will do their best to facilitate this. The Registrars have a limited on call service out of hours.

3

Tissue Donation Donated tissues such as eyes, skin, bone and heart valves can dramatically improve the quality of life for others. As many as 50 people can be helped by the donation from one person.

Many kinds of tissues can be donated after death - these include eyes, heart valves, skin, bone and tendons.

Almost anyone can be considered as a tissue donor; however, there are some exceptions. To ensure that all donated tissues are safe, the donor’s medical and lifestyle history is assessed, as with blood donors, to protect the person receiving the tissue.

Even if your loved one has not made a decision on the Organ Donor Register, a relative can give permission for tissue donation on their behalf.

Tissue donations usually occur within 24 hours after someone has died. However, sometimes it is possible to donate up to 48 hours after death.

Becoming a tissue donor will not delay any funeral arrangements.

If you would like to discuss tissue donation in more detail, you can contact a specialist nurse on 0800 432 0559 (freephone).

4

Hospital Chaplains Hospital Chaplains are available to be with, listen to and support everyone whatever their beliefs or backgrounds, as well as providing religious services and advice. They may also be able to contact a representative of your own religious faith or denomination if you so wish.

Hospital Chaplaincy: 020 8967 5130

A message from our Chaplains… supporting people in life and in loss Bereavement can turn our lives upside down and inside out and sometimes it can help to talk to someone else about it. Chaplains offer a skilled listening ear to encourage and support you through your bereavement. If you would like us to do this, and with your consent, we can also refer you to a local faith community for ongoing bereavement support.

Lead Chaplain London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust LNWH Chaplaincy Department

5

The Medical Examiner London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, in line with the new Government requirements has introduced the role of the Medical Examiner, who is a senior doctor not involved in the care of the patient, but understands the circumstances surrounding the cause of death.

The aim is that they will make it easier for you to understand the wording on the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) and will check all details before the certificate is issued. This means you may receive a call from the Medical Examiner to discuss the death certificate in the first few days after your loss.

6

When the Coroner has to be involved In certain situations the hospital cannot issue the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death and will need to report the death to the Coroner’s Office. The Coroner is an independent officer (from a legal or medical background) with statutory responsibility for the legal investigation of the cause of death in some circumstances.

These include: •

where the cause of death is unexpected or unknown

•

where a patient had a fall or a fracture that needs to be included on the medical certificate

•

if death is due to an industrial disease

•

where the cause of death is deemed as being unnatural

•

where death occurs during, or shortly after, an operation

Once the referral has been reviewed, the Coroner may decide that the hospital doctor can issue the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. The Coroner’s Officer will advise you of this decision.

The Coroner may order a post-mortem examination to determine the precise cause of death. This is a legal decision and does not require the consent of the next of kin. Following a post-mortem the Coroner’s Office will issue the appropriate paperwork allowing the death to be registered.

In some circumstances the Coroner may request an inquest into the death; this is common when a fall or a fracture is included within the Medical Certificate.

7

Registering the death Once the MCCD is completed and the Medical Examiner has authorised its release it will be sent directly to the Registrars. You will need an appointment to register the death, usually within five days of the death.

You will need to contact the Registrars on 020 8825 7330 or online at www.ealing.gov.uk/registrar to make an appointment.

Alternatively you can scan the QR code below to take you directly to the Registrars website.

All Registration Offices operate an appointment system. Please telephone to make an appointment before attending to prevent unnecessary waiting. Please note you may not register the death unless the MCCD has been issued as the registration cannot proceed without it.

The registration should take approximately 40 minutes. However, in some circumstances the Registrar may have to refer to the Coroner which may result in further time being necessary.

It is preferable that persons registering a death do so in the registration district in which the death occurred to avoid delay and enable the certificates to be obtained at time of registration.

The Registration Office for this area is located at: Ealing Register Office, Perceval House, 14-16 Uxbridge Road, Ealing, W5 2HL Who can register the death?

•

a relative of the deceased

•

a person present at the death

•

the person who is arranging the funeral 8

The Registrar will ask you the following details relating to the deceased: •

full name

•

any surname previously used, including maiden name

•

date and place of birth

•

occupation

•

usual address

•

the full name, date of birth and occupation of his/her spouse or civil partner

The following documents are helpful to take when registering the death, but please do not worry if you cannot find them: •

medical card

•

birth certificate

•

marriage certificate

The Registrar will issue you with: •

Green Form (the Certificate for Burial or Cremation), this form is to be given to the funeral director

•

copies of the death certificate (there is a charge for these)

After the registration the Registrar will provide you with a reference number for the Tell Us Once Service. This is an online service to inform government organisations and local council services about the death. The service can be found here: What to do after someone dies: Tell Us Once - GOV.UK

9

Death Certificates The Registrar can provide you with a death certificate; there is a fee to be paid to the Registration Service for any death certificate issued. At the time of publishing the cost per death certificate is £12.50.

The death certificate will be required by banks, building societies, solicitors or for private pension and insurance claims. You may therefore need to purchase more than one copy.

10

Who do I need to tell?

When someone dies there will be many organisations to contact.

Please use the following as guidance to see if you have contacted everyone you need.

Bank, Giro, Credit Cards, Building Society Dept. Work & Pensions (Benefits, Pensions, etc) Social Services (Home helps, Home care) Place of work (Occupational Pension) Executors of the estate (Will) Solicitor Insurance companies Landlord, Housing Department Council Tax offices Passport office Inland Revenue Electricity, Gas, Telephone, Water companies Royal Mail, newsagent and milk deliveries Driving Licence centre (DVLA) Priest, Vicar, Minister or Faith Leader Schools, College or University attended Residential or Nursing Home Library Service Careline (personal alarm service) Cancel any appointments Community Equipment Service (CES)

11

Arranging the funeral A funeral is your opportunity to say goodbye and it is most important for your grieving that the funeral is conducted in the way you and your relative/friend wished. It may be that your loved one discussed their wishes prior to their death and you know the type of service they wanted. Sometimes this conversation has not been held and you may not know what your relative wanted; at these times you can only do what you think is right for them. You do not have to wait until the death has been registered before contacting funeral directors, though you may not feel ready immediately.

Your chosen funeral director will help you make arrangements for the funeral and can also advise you on the procedures and documents you will need as well as the timing for the service. This can often be done in the comfort of your own home if you prefer.

Most funeral directors belong to one or more of the recognised associations listed which have a code of practice which they must adhere to: •

National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD)

•

The Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF)

It is not essential to employ a funeral director and some families will choose to arrange the funeral themselves. However, please be aware that there are strict guidelines which must be followed.

Once your relative/friend is with the funeral director, you will be able to visit them at their Chapel of Rest, where you can spend more time with them if you wish. Sometimes, families decide that they would like their relative to spend time at home, usually in the hours before the funeral. This can be arranged with your funeral director. You will also need to think about the clothes you would like them to wear. Take your time with the arrangements and do not rush in to any decisions.

12

Funerals can be expensive and although basic costs tend to be similar the final cost can vary considerably. You may wish to contact several funeral directors in order to compare prices and services before you make a decision.

The person arranging the funeral is usually responsible for meeting the costs incurred. It is advisable to check if the person who died had contributed to a funeral plan, or if there are any insurance policies in place which can be used to pay for the funeral.

The funeral director will need the Certificate of Burial and Cremation (Green Form) which the Registrar can e-mail to the funeral director or can give to you.

If you have any worries at all about the cost of the funeral, please ask for advice before making arrangements from the funeral director or the Bereavement Service at the hospital. A funeral payment is available from the Department for Work and Pension Social Fund. To qualify for this you must be receiving an eligible benefit.

Please ask your local social security office for Form SF200 – help when someone dies.

Alternatively find out more at www.gov.uk/funeral-payments

13

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 only take a few minutes to complete.

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.

14

Wills and estates When a person dies somebody has to deal with their estate (money, property and possessions left) by collecting in all the money, paying any debts and distributing what is left to those people entitled to it.

You should check if your relative/friend had prepared a Will as soon as possible as this may include special requests about funeral arrangements.

If there is a Will, it should confirm who has been appointed to administer the estate; they will be the executor. Where the person did not leave a Will, or left a Will which did not name an administrator the estate is usually dealt with by the next of kin.

The person administering the estate may need to apply to the Court for Probate. This can be completed online or by post if preferred, www.gov.uk/applying-for-probate/apply-for-probate. The Probate Service will issue either: •

Grant of Representation or

•

Letter of Administration

These give the applicant the Court’s authority to administer the deceased person’s estate.

You will not need Probate if the estate: •

Passes to the surviving spouse/civil partner because it was held in joint names

•

The value of the estate is below a certain amount

It should be noted that the first item to be paid out of a person’s estate is the cost of the funeral and this has priority over all other payments. If you have difficulty in dealing with the deceased person’s estate you should seek advice from a solicitor or the Citizens Advice Bureau.

15

Further advice and support At each point over the next few days there will be people who are able to provide support and advice including the funeral director, the person conducting the funeral service, your own family doctor as well as hospital staff and bereavement care agencies. Below is a list of services and their contact details: Ealing Hospital Chaplaincy 020 8967 5130 Asian Family Counselling Service 020 8574 0912 Barnet Bereavement Service 020 8368 8880 Carers UK Advice Line 0808 808 7777 Child Bereavement Service 0800 02 888 40 Cruse Bereavement Care 0808 808 1677 Ealing Bereft 020 8896 2800 Harrow and Hillingdon Bereavement Service 020 8427 5720 Jewish Bereavement Counselling Service 020 8951 3881 Muslim Bereavement Support Service 020 3468 7333

(Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu) asianfamilycounselling.org barnetbereavementservice.co.uk carersuk.org childbereavementuk.org cruse.org.uk bereftbereavementsupport.co.uk

bereavementcareandsupport.co.uk

jbcs.org.uk

mbss.org.uk

16

The Mulberry Centre (Cancer support and bereavement support for Hillingdon and Hounslow) 020 8321 6300 SANDS (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society) 0808 164 3332 West London - 07710 010026 Terrence Higgins Trust (HIV/AIDS) 0808 802 1221

themulberrycentre.co.uk

sands.org.uk

tht.org.uk

Reference: Ealing Hospital Bereavement Booklet Publication date: June 2025 Review date: June 2027

17

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.

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.

www.stopmail.co.uk 0808 168 9607 from a landline 0333 006 8114 from a mobile © Bereavement Support Network Ltd 2025

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