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When a death occurs

What to do when your loved one passes away expectedly at home:

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1. With the death being expected, we recommend you call their GP surgery immediately, or the out of hours doctor on 111. Once in attendance, a doctor will verify the death.

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2. Once the death has been verified, you may call us to attend the death and transfer the deceased person into our care.

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3. The GP, or a Medical Practitioner who has seen the deceased within their lifetime will complete a Medical Cause of Death Certificate (MCCD); this may be issued at the time of verifying the death or in the following days. If the death was sudden, suspicious or there is no clear cause of death, the death may be referred to His Majesty’s Coroner.

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4. Once the MCCD has been completed it will be emailed to the area Medical Examiner’s office to be scrutinised and approved. The Medical Examiner or their officers will be in touch with you to confirm the circumstances surrounding the death. Once approved the MCCD will be emailed to the Registry office, to enable the death to be registered.

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5. Once the MCCD has been issued to the Registry office you will then have five days to register the death.

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What to do when your loved one passes away in hospital or a hospice:​

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1. The bereavement team will generally contact the next of kin to inform them of the death if family are not present.

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2. The Bereavement Office will be in touch regarding the next steps which will be as follows.

 

3. The Doctor from the hospital or hospice, or a Medical Practitioner who has seen the deceased within their lifetime will complete a Medical Cause of Death Certificate (MCCD); this may be issued at the time of verifying the death or in the following days. If the death was sudden, suspicious or there is no clear cause of death, the death may be referred to His Majesty’s Coroner.

 

4. Once the MCCD has been completed it will be emailed to the hospital Medical Examiner’s office to be scrutinised and approved. The Medical Examiner, or their officers will be in touch with you to confirm the circumstances surrounding the death. Once approved the MCCD will be emailed to the Registry office, to enable the death to be registered.

 

5. Once the MCCD has been issued to the Registry office you will then have five days to register the death.

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What to do when your loved one passes away in a Nursing home / Care home:

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1. The home staff will call the GP or out of hours doctor to attend and verify the death. If you have already nominated a funeral director, the home staff will call us to transfer the deceased person into our care. If a funeral director hasn’t been nominated, they may ask you as the family to choose or contact one direct.

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2. Once the death has been verified in either of the above instances, you may call us to attend the death and transfer the deceased person into our care.

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3. The GP, or a Medical Practitioner who has seen the deceased within their lifetime will complete a Medical Cause of Death Certificate (MCCD); this may be issued at the time of verifying the death or in the following days. If the death was sudden, suspicious or there is no clear cause of death, the death may be referred to His Majesty’s Coroner.

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4. Once the MCCD has been completed it will be emailed to the area Medical Examiner’s office to be scrutinised and approved. The Medical Examiner or their officers will be in touch with you to confirm the circumstances surrounding the death. Once approved the MCCD will be emailed to the Registry office, to enable the death to be registered.

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5. Once the MCCD has been issued to the Registry office you will then have five days to register the death.

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What to do when your loved one passes away unexpectedly:

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1. If the death is sudden, we recommend you call 999 immediately, and they will advise on whether they are sending paramedics, police or a doctor to verify and attend the death.

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If your loved one passes away unexpectedly then the process of what to do next is slightly different.

 

The death will be referred to the HM Coroner who will have full control over paperwork and the release of your loved one into our care.

 

Your loved one will remain at the local hospital where a post mortem may be necessary. If a post mortem is required then this will have to happen before we can bring your loved one into our care.

 

The coroner will be in contact with you to inform you on what is to happen next. In this case there will NOT be a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death certificate issued.

GriefChat:

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Most people expect to be very upset or distressed when someone close to them has died. What takes many people by surprise is how strong the emotions can be, how they can change very quickly, and how long they last. People around you may seem to think you should be ‘back to normal’ after a few weeks or months. You might appear to be your usual self to other people, but you know that on the inside, you’re not even sure what normal is anymore.

 

Everyone grieves in a way that is unique to them and their relationship with the person who has died. Well-intentioned people may say to you, ‘Time is a great healer.’ Sometimes, however, it can seem that life is more difficult as the weeks and months go by.

 

We know that no-one can understand exactly what your loss feels like to you. But we do understand that it’s sometimes easier to talk to someone outside of your friends and family about grief and the impact of bereavement of your life and this is why we offer the GriefChat service.

 

GriefChat was created by bereavement experts and by clicking on the GriefChat box below, you can chat directly to a specially trained bereavement counsellor. GriefChat counsellors are experienced in supporting bereaved people and will listen to your story, explore how your grief is affecting you and help you to find any additional support you might need. GriefChat is a completely free service and is available Monday-Friday,9am-9pm(except Bank Holidays).

 

GriefChat provides emotional support for bereaved people, access to trained bereavement counsellors and referral into other specialist bereavement services.

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