The death of someone close to you is possibly one of the most distressing events that can happen. At the moment you may feel overwhelmed by the prospect of finding yourself responsible for making the necessary arrangements.
The content of this booklet attempts to help with some of the practical issues you or your family may have to deal with at this time.
The hospital staff offer you their condolences and are ready to help in any way they can. If you wish to talk to someone, do not hesitate to contact either:
After someone dies there are a number of things which must be done.
The following information may help you with what must be undertaken within the first few days and the order in which to do them.
Please telephone the Bereavement Office 020 8296 2491 - the office is open from 10am – 3pm Monday to Friday. It does not open on public holidays. There is an answerphone so please leave a message and you will be contacted by a Bereavement Officer.
For additional information, please visit our website at www.epsom-sthelier.nhs.uk and search using the word ‘bereavement’
Please do not come to the hospital until we have spoken with you by telephone to advise of the next steps as this may save you an unnecessary journey.
If following this conversation you do however need to attend the hospital the Bereavement Office is located on the ground floor in B block.
Since September 2024 it has been a statutory requirement for all deaths to be reviewed by a Medical Examiner/Coroner prior to registration. It is therefore not advisable to book funeral dates until you have been advised that the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death has been issued by the hospital and you have been contacted by the Medical Examiner Team.
The Medical Certificate of Cause of Death
Once the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death has been signed off by the Medical Examiner the Bereavement Office will electronically send a copy to Sutton Register Office along with your contact details. The register office will then contact you directly to make an appointment to officially register the death in person.
While the hospital will make every effort to provide the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death as quickly as possible please note that this may sometimes take a number of days.
Viewing
If you wish to see your loved one in the hospital chapel of rest, please contact the bereavement office who will be able to advise if this is possible.
Patient’s Property
Please ask ward staff about any property or valuable items.
Lavender flowers are said to represent purity, silence, devotion, serenity, grace and calmness. The fragrance is often used in perfumery and medicine and our local area has a history of Lavender picking.
Who are Medical Examiners and Medical Examiner Officers?
Medical Examiners are employed by NHS bodies in England and Wales and are supported by Medical Examiner Officers. Within the new statutory national system for death certification some senior NHS doctors have chosen to receive specialist training, in addition to their normal clinical duties to spend some of their time working as Medical Examiners. Medical Examiner Officers work alongside Medical Examiners and are again, specially trained with their job also to give independent advice about what caused a death.
The Medical Examiner service is a national and independent service with offices hosted by NHS Trusts across England and Wales. Epsom and St Helier hospital Trust hosts a Medical Examiner service that reviews deaths that occur in both hospital sites and the wider community supporting GP practices in the Sutton, Cheam, Hackbridge, Wallington & Epsom areas.
The service offers the bereaved and carers of the deceased an opportunity to ask questions or raise concerns about the cause of death including the care received prior to their death. Medical Examiners review all relevant medical records and discuss the cause of death with the appropriate doctor issuing the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD). Upon completion of an MCCD, you will be contacted by telephone either by a Medical Examiner or Medical Examiner Officer who will advise of the proposed cause of death. They can also explain what medical language means, and make it easier to understand.
The medical examiner system has been designed to:
• Provide the bereaved and carers with greater safeguards through transparency and opportunities to raise concerns
• Improve the quality and accuracy of medical certification of cause of death
• Ensure deaths are notified to coroners where appropriate
• Support local learning and improvement by identifying matters that require escalation to local clinical governance and other processes
You will be contacted by a Medical Examiner or Medical Examiner Officer usually through a telephone call once the clinical team have completed the MCCD and the Medical Examiner has completed their review.
Why am I being asked if I have any concerns?
A discussion with a Medical Examiner or Medical Examiner Officer provides you with an opportunity to have an open and honest conversation with someone who was not involved in providing care to the person who died, and anything about the care that may be worrying or of concern. It could be as simple as helping you to understand more about the treatment and causes of death or to understand the medical language used, or there may be something about the care which did not feel right or ideal. This is an opportunity to ask questions and raise concerns.
The Medical Examiner will provide an independent view of causes of death and care provided. Medical Examiners and their staff will discuss your thoughts, questions and concerns, and if they find issues with the care that need further investigation. It is not the role of the Medical Examiner service to investigate these concerns however, they will advise how best these concerns may be addressed. As well as answering your questions, this can help the NHS provide better care for other patients and carers in future, for example by uncovering ways in which patient and family care could be improved.
Coroners
Under certain circumstances some deaths must be legally notified to the Coroner. For example if the death was sudden or unexpected or the cause of death has not been determined, a doctor will not be able to issue a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. When the Coroner starts an investigation into a death, the Coroner (not the Medical Examiner) investigates the death independently, though the Medical Examiner may still provide expert medical advice to the Coroner –you can read about this on the internet (www.gov.uk/government/ publications/notification-of-deaths-regulations-2019-guidance). You can also get the guidance in other formats by emailing the Ministry of Justice at coroners@justice.gov.uk (this is the part of the government responsible for the guidance).
The involvement of the Coroner may cause some delay especially if a post mortem examination is required. A referral to the Coroner does not mean an automatic post mortem. If a death has been reported to a Coroner, you can still contact your chosen funeral director. The South London Coroner’s Office contact details are: Tel: 020 8313 1883 or Email: admin.coroner@croydon.gov.uk
Organ and tissue donation
Every year the lives of many people are saved with the help of donated organs. However, you may not realise that donated tissue such as eyes, skin, bone and heart valves can also save or dramatically improve the quality of life for others. Many people can be considered as donors and tissue can be donated up to 24-48 hours after death, meaning it would not delay funeral arrangements.
People may have discussed donation with family or friends during their lifetime and they may already have registered as a donor, or carried an organ donor card. However, it is possible for a family member to consent on behalf of the deceased, even if they were not previously registered as a donor.
We recognise that a decision such as this is personal, and there is absolutely no pressure or need to discuss the issues if you do not wish to do so. However, if you would like more information to consider donation, please speak to a member of staff who will contact the donation specialist nurse on your behalf.
Since spring 2020, all regions of the UK now effectively have an ‘optout’ system for organ donation consent; this means it is generally presumed you are content to be an organ donor upon death unless you signal otherwise on the Organ Donor Register or are in one of the excluded groups.
Body Donation
Some people have previously made arrangements for their body to be used for medical research by one of the London anatomy organisations after their death. If this is the case you should contact the relevant organisation and also inform the Hospital Bereavement Office.
Registration
Once signed off by the Medical Examiner the agreed Medical Certificate of Cause of Death is sent electronically to the Register Office.
Closed on the 3rd Wednesday of each month from 12:30pm.
The Register Office will contact you directly to make an appointment with you to officially register the death in person. At this appointment you will be able to purchase copies of the death certificate.
Unless the Coroner is involved (see page 5), a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death will be issued by the hospital, reviewed and countersigned by a Medical Examiner before being sent electronically to the Register Office.
Who can register a death?
A death can be registered by a relative or the partner of the deceased. If you are not related to, or are not the partner of the deceased, you can only register if:
• you were present at the death; or
• you are an administrator from the hospital (if the person died in hospital) or you live at the place where the person died; or
• you are in charge of making funeral arrangements; or
• you are the personal representative of the deceased
What the register will need to know
Information about the person who has died
• date and place of death
• first name, middle names (if they had any), and surname
• any other names they were known as or had before, including maiden name
• date and place of birth
• occupation and whether they were retired or not
• address
Information about the spouse or civil partner of the person
• first name, middle names (if any), and surname
• date of birth
• if they are deceased or not
• occupation and whether they are retired or not
Other useful documents to have
• the person’s birth Certificate
• their marriage or civil partnership certificate(s)
• their NHS medical card
For further information regarding death registration please see the following link: https://www.sutton.gov.uk/w/register-a-death
How to get to the Register Office
By car
From the hospital turn right into Wrythe Lane and proceed to the roundabout. At the roundabout turn right onto Whitby Road. Continue onto Duke of Edinburgh Road. Turn right onto Edinburgh Road and then left into Hillview Road. At the junction turn right onto Benhill Road. At the first roundabout take the second exit and continue on Benhill Road. At the next roundabout continue straight onto St Barnabas Road. Turn right onto Carshalton Road, then onto Sutton Court Road. Use the left lane to turn right onto Cheam Road. The Register Office is on the left.
By public transport
From Rose Hill roundabout take the 164 bus (Stop RP) to Sutton Police Station (Stop K). Head southeast on Throwley Way towards Carshalton Road.
Documentation issued by the Registrar
The Registrar provides:
• A certificate for Burial or Cremation (called the green form). This gives permission for the funeral director to make the necessary arrangements for the funeral and will be sent electronically to your chosen funeral director
• A Tell Us Once unique reference number
• Death certificates. There is a fee payable for each certificate and the Registrar will be able to advise you about this Tell Us Once
The Tell Us Once service lets you tell most government organisations that a person has died in one go. When you register a death, a registrar will explain the process to you. You can read more about Tell Us Once on GOV.UK.
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 0333 006 8114, 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 not only 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.
The funeral
It is advisable that you are in contact with the Bereavement Office before you begin to make funeral arrangements. Once you have registered the death the Register Office will electronically send the Certificate for Burial or Cremation (green form) to your chosen funeral directors to allow them to transfer your deceased loved one from the hospital to the funeral home with fewer delays.
As prices can vary considerably it is common to contact more than one funeral director for a written quotation for their services. The chosen funeral director should advise and help you arrange the funeral of your choice. It may be that the deceased has given instructions, either in a Will or to someone personally as to their last wishes. The choice of burial or cremation may also depend on cost or whether there is a family grave. The funeral director will arrange for a local priest, minister or person of your choice to conduct the service.
Help with funeral costs
Funerals can be expensive. You could get a Funeral Expenses Payment (also called a Funeral Payment) if you get certain benefits and need help to pay for a funeral you’re arranging.
Advice can be obtained from: Online: www.gov.uk/funeral-payments
Tel: (0800) 151-2012
Book of Remembrance
If at a future date you wish to have your loved one’s name entered in The Book of Remembrance at St Helier Hospital, please contact The League of Friends Tel: 020 8296 2462 between 9am and 1pm or email: theleagueoffriends@hotmail.com
Ongoing support
You may find the following organisations helpful in support following your bereavement:-
Names and addresses of private counselling services or individual counsellors can be found in public libraries, your local Citizens Advice Bureau or by contacting: The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
15 St John’s Business Park, Lutterworth, Leicestershire, LE17 4HB
Telephone: 01455 883300
Email: bacp@bacp.co.uk www.bacp.co.uk
Religious and cultural groups
Care for bereaved people is also offered by local religious or cultural communities. Help can be obtained by contacting the bereaved person’s local church, minister, religious or cultural representatives.
Road Peace
3rd Floor, 3Space International House
6 Canterbury Crescent, Brixton, London, SW9 7QD
Telephone: 0800 160 1069
www.roadpeace.org
Support for those bereaved or injured as a result of a road crash.
Samaritans Central Office
The Upper Mill, Kingston Road, Ewell KT17 2AF
Tel: 020 8394 8300 Email: admin@samaritans.org
Offers emotional support, befriending and a sympathetic ear for lonely, suicidal or despairing people of all ages.
Helpline: 116 123 www.samaritans.org
Terrence Higgins Trust
439 Caledonian Road, London N7 9BG
Helpline: 0808 802 1221 www.tht.org.uk
Offers individual bereavement counselling for anyone bereaved by HIV or AIDS.
The Compassionate Friends
Kilburn Grange, Priory Park Road, London NW6 7UJ
Helpline: 0345 123 2304 www.tcf.org.uk
The Compassionate Friends (TCF) is the UK’s only national charity providing peer support to bereaved parents, adult siblings and grandparents who have experienced the death of a child, sibling or grandchild.
The Good Grief Trust www.thegoodgrieftrust.org
The Silver Line
A free confidential telephone service run by Age UK offering conversation, friendship and support to older people aged 55 and over.
Helpline: 0800 4 70 80 90 www.thesilverline.org.uk Support for the over 55s.
National Bereavement Alliance
www.nationalbereavementalliance.org.uk - search for Grief Support Guide
Reference: St Helier Hospital Bereavement Booklet
Review Date: November 2025
Publication Date: November 2027
St George’s, Epsom & St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group invites you to to remember our patients, staff and loved ones.
3rd Sunday of November 3-4pm at both St Helier and St George’s Hospitals, followed by tea & cake
Everyone is Welcome
St Helier Hospital Chapel & Multi Faith Room, Ground Floor
St George’s Hospital Hyde Park Room, 1st Floor, Lanesborough Wing
St Helier email - esth.chaplains@nhs.net or call 0208 296 2917
St George‘s email - chaplains@stgeorges.nhs.uk or call 0208 725 3071
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.
