Please accept our deepest condolences following the death of your relative or friend.

Please read this information sheet together with our main bereavement booklet, ‘When someone dies – a practical guide for family and friends.'

This leaflet provides up to date guidance on:

  • Administrative procedures following a patient’s’ death
  • On arrangements introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic regarding viewing the person who has died
  • Receiving documents from the hospital.

We understand that the restrictions around COVID-19 are distressing and losing someone you care about at a time like this may feel challenging. To support families to proceed with arrangements safely and swiftly, a process has been put in place where all important documents will be shared by email and conversations will be carried out over the phone.

Please be aware that it is a requirement that the death be registered within five days of the date of death.

  • You should contact the bereavement service, ideally after 10am, the next working day. Our dedicated team will explain the process for registration of the death. You will be asked for your name, best contact phone number and an email address.
  • In most cases, the doctors who were caring for the person who died will establish a cause of death and will complete a medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD); the bereavement service will let you know when the MCCD is complete.
  • Please be aware that the accuracy of the MCCD is important and, working with the medical examiner service (see ‘The medical examiner service’ leaflet), it can take some time to complete it. In some cases, the MCCD cannot be issued right away because the coroner may need to be involved; please see page eight of the bereavement booklet.
  • Once the MCCD is complete, the bereavement service will email a copy of the MCCD to the local registrar’s office; the bereavement service will phone you to let you know when this is done.
  • The bereavement service will give your name, contact number, and email address to the registrar when the MCCD is emailed to them.
  • The bereavement service will also email you a release form that you will need to complete and then hand to your nominated funeral director.
  • The bereavement service will provide you with the link you should follow to book a timeslot for your appointment with the registrar to register the death either by telephone or in-person (the registration service will let you know which option is available).
  • Once the registration is complete, you will be provided with a certificate for burial or cremation (commonly known as the green form); this will allow you to proceed to making funeral arrangements by passing the green form to your chosen funeral director.
  • The registrar will also be able to post you certified death certificates at a cost of £11 each; you can request as many copies as you wish. Payment can be made over the phone.

During this exceptional time, it is important that you proceed to making funeral arrangements as soon as possible so that you can lay your relative or friend to rest without delay; this should ideally be within two weeks of the death.

Viewings

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer viewings for families and friends to come and spend time with the person who died in our hospital viewing rooms. You may wish to discuss the option to do this once your relative or friend is in the care of your chosen funeral director.

Property and valuables

You will be assisted by the ward team where your relative or friend died so that you can collect any property or valuables. Please see page four of the bereavement booklet.

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