The Bereavement team offers support to
the relatives and friends of people who have died in hospital.
We wish to offer our sincere sympathy to
you, your family and friends in your bereavement.
Bereavement is a time of grief and sorrow – this is a natural
and normal part of your loss. It is also unfortunately a period
during which a number of matters must be dealt with. All of this
can prove bewildering and stressful and we hope this information
will help and assist you during this difficult time.
It may be possible to view your relative
before they leave the ward. However, after this we would encourage
you to wait until they are at the funeral directors. We can arrange
a viewing at the hospital in certain circumstances.
The Trust has a team of bereavement officers,
who can give you help and information and can arrange for you to
see the doctor who was looking after your relative to help answer
any questions you may have.
The Department of Work and Pensions leaflet
DWP1027 'What to do after a
death' gives comprehensive advice and details about the
formalities involved. The leaflet can be downloaded by clicking on
the link above or a hard copy can be picked up from the leaflet
racks on Level 2, Main Entrance of the Royal Berkshire Hospital,
from the Bereavement Office or from your local Department of Work
and Pensions.
What happens to the deceased?
The body of the person who has died will be
taken to the hospital mortuary, until it is released to the
appointed funeral director.
Personal belongings
If you are in the hospital when your relative
or friend dies, the nursing staff will return all belongings to you
before you leave the hospital, or if you prefer, you can arrange
another time for a family member or next of kin to collect them
from the Bereavement Office. This includes any valuables that have
been taken into safekeeping.
What happens next?
Contact the Bereavement Office on 0118 322
7059 after 9am the following morning.
Contact a funeral director – you can do this
immediately. You do not need to wait for the medical certificate to
be issued.
Bereavement officers
The bereavement officers will arrange an
appointment for you to come in and collect the certificate from
them, when it is ready. They will try to arrange your appointment
at a convenient time and usually on the next working day. If you
are worried, you are welcome to telephone them on 0118 322 7059.
The Bereavement Office at the Royal Berkshire Hospital is open
between 8am and 4pm Monday to Friday. You can leave a message on
the answerphone out of hours and they will get back to you as soon
as they are available.
The bereavement officers will:
- ask you whether the deceased is to be buried
or cremated so that the relevant paperwork can be organized.
- provide you with a medical certificate of
cause of death.
- advise you on how to register the death.
- return any valuables and personal belongings
left at the hospital.
- offer to put you in contact with counsellors,
chaplains or other support groups.
- advise you what to do next.
- advise you on the possible arrangements for
viewing your relative.
- you will also have the opportunity to ask any
questions you may have and to have any items of property returned
to you if it has not already been done.
The bereavement officers are based in an
office on Level 2, Main Entrance at the Royal Berkshire Hospital –
around the corner from the main reception. Please ring the bell of
the PALS and Bereavement Office to let the officers know you have
arrived. Alternatively, please ask one of the receptionists on the
main desk to contact the Office for you.
Death certificate
In most cases, the hospital will give you a
medical certificate stating the cause of death. We will endeavour
to get this done within 48 hours, although this may take a little
longer after weekends and Bank Holidays.
Hospital post mortem examination
Sometimes, the hospital doctor who has written
the medical certificate may ask for your permission to carry out a
post mortem examination. This can help doctors to understand the
reason why the person died and it may help in the treatment of
other patients in the future. You will be under no pressure to
agree to a hospital post mortem if you do not wish one to be
carried out. The doctor will explain what is involved in the
examination and will ask you to sign a consent form.
The Coroner
There are certain circumstances when the
doctor has to refer the death to the Coroner before they are able
to write the certificate. This may cause a delay in issuing the
certificate. The Coroner may have to arrange a Coroner's post
mortem examination. You will be told that this is happening, but
you do not have the right to withhold your consent to the
examination in this case. The bereavement officer will arrange for
a Coroner's officer to telephone you at home to discuss this
process in more detail.
If the post mortem shows that death was due to
natural causes, the Coroner will issue a notification to the
Registrar, known as the Pink Form (Form 100B) which gives the cause
of death so that the death can be registered. If the body is to be
cremated, the Coroner will give your chosen funeral director a
Certificate for Cremation.
If there is to be an inquest, an Interim
Certificate of Fact of Death can be issued by the Coroner. The
Coroner will give you further information if this decision is
made.
Registering the death
Once you have the medical certificate of cause
of death you will have to register the death at the Registrar's
Office. The death must be registered within five working days at
the Registrar’s Office for the area in which the death
occurred. You will need to make a prior appointment before
you go there but please do not make an appointment until the
Bereavement Office has informed you that the certificate is ready
for collection from them.
If you are unable to get to the Registrar’s
Office in this area, you can go to a Registrar in your home town in
England or Wales but they will not register the death. The details
will be passed on to the Registrar for the area in which your
relative died and the certificate will be sent to you by post a few
days later. This may cause delays in arranging the funeral.
Information leaflets for friends and relatives
Some of the files here are large - they
may take a long time to download if you don't have a fast
connection.
To view these PDF documents you will
need Adobe Acrobat reader. If you do not have this free
software, you can download
Acrobat Reader here.
Contact us
Patient Relations Team
Level 2 Main Entrance
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
London Road
Reading
RG1 5AN
0118 322 8338