End of Life - What to do when someone has died

Firstly, there is no rush to do anything. If you, family members or friends wish to spend some time with the person that has died please do so.

The death will need to be verified whilst they are still at home and prior to their transfer to a Funeral Directors. The verification of death can be completed by their GP or a Nurse who has been involved in their care.

Verification of the death is required before the GP can complete the medical certificate of the cause of death

• If you would prefer a GP to visit to verify, then please contact the GP Surgery that the person who has died is registered with.
• If you would prefer a member of the Nursing care team to visit, then please call: 01332 564900.
• If the death has occurred out of hours (between 18:30-08:00), you will need to contact 111.

The person who has died may have already specified a Funeral Director they wished to use and may have already had some contact with them. If this is not the case, then a Funeral Director of your choice can be used.

Once the GP or Nurse has completed the verification of death, you may contact your chosen Funeral Director. They will arrange for the transfer of the person who has died They will come at a convenient time for you The timing of this will be your choice.

The Funeral Director can be an additional source of advice and support.

NAFD - Funeral Directory

If the death has happened at home: You will need to contact the GP surgery that the person who has died is registered with. You will be advised when the medical certificate of death will be completed The medical certificate of death will be sent directly to the Registry office closest to where the death has happened. You should not need to go to the GP surgery to collect it.

If the death has happened in a Hospital or a Care home: The doctor who was caring for the person who has died will fill in the medical certificate of the cause of death. The doctor who has completed the certificate will send it to the Registry office closest to where the death has happened. You should not need to go to the GP Surgery, Hospital or Care Home to collect it.

You must register the death within five working days. You can do this at the Registry office closest to the place of death. You will need to contact the Registry office to make an appointment.

There are links below to information which tell you what you need bring with you and what you will be asked. This is to register the death in Derby City or with Derbyshire County Council.

The Registrar will give you a form. This is the form needed for the burial or cremation. The Registrar will also give you a certificate of the registration of the death. This is the document that you will need when you tell organisations such as banks and pension providers of the death. Sometimes people will ask for an original copy of the death certificate. It might be a good idea to buy extra copies when you register the death.  

If you are unable to access the Internet, for deaths in Derby City please phone 01332 641680.

For deaths in the County, here is a link to the Derbyshire County Council website.

If you are unable to access the Internet below are all the telephone numbers and addresses of the Registration offices across the county.

In some circumstances the death may have to be referred to the coroner. If this causes any concern, you can speak to someone at the Coroner’s Office who can guide you through the process.

You can read more about the Coroner Service here.

Tell Us Once is a service that lets you report a death to most government organisations in one go. Once you have registered the death, the Registrar will give you a reference number so you can use the service

For more information, please click here.

If a funeral is to take place, please do not book a date for the funeral until the death has been registered.

In the United Kingdom there is no legal requirement to have a funeral. There is the requirement that a body is properly taken care of either by burial or cremation.

The person who has died may have talked about their funeral wishes with you. They may have left funeral instructions in their will or a letter. If there are no clear wishes, then it is left to you to decide. Making funeral arrangements can be emotionally difficult. You may want to consider asking a relative or friend to help you. There are lots of services and sites available for you to consider for funerals, including:

• Traditional
• Woodland burials
• Religious services
• Non-religious services

There is no legal minimum or maximum time frame between the death and the funeral. You can wait until you feel able to make any arrangements.

If you choose to use a Funeral Director, they will be able to help and advise you with the funeral arrangements.

Some people like to have a gathering after the funeral service. This may be called a wake. You might want to think about where this will take place and whether you are going to provide refreshments or food.

At the wake some people find it helpful to provide a ‘memory book’ or cards that guests can write on. Inviting people to share their thoughts and memories about the person is often very helpful for people who are grieving. It can be nice thing to look back on in the future.

Funerals can be expensive, and you may be worried about how you will pay for the funeral. You can find help and advice here.

The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) may also be another source of advice and support.

Click here for more information.

Councils arrange public health funerals when someone dies who are without any friends or family to take care of the arrangements.

The local authority will arrange the burial or cremation. They don't have to provide a funeral service, although some local councils will. If they do, they'll provide a very simple service in line with the beliefs of the person who died.

If you have any equipment that has been loaned to you this will have been provided by Medequip. This equipment will need to be returned.

Once you feel able, please contact Medequip to arrange a convenient date and time for collection.

For equipment in the Derby city area:

Medequip | Contact our Derby City Depot

Email:derbycity@medequip-uk.com
Tel: 01773 604426
Opening Hours: 8:30am to 5:00pm Monday – Friday

For equipment in the County:

Medequip | Contact our Alfreton Depot

Email:derbycustomerservice@medequip-uk.com
Tel: 01773 604426
Opening Hours: 8:30am to 5:00pm Monday - Friday

If a District Nurse Team has been involved to support care, they will contact you to arrange collection of any nursing equipment and NHS paper notes.

The relationship you had with the person that has died was personal to you. How you feel about the loss of that person will also be very individual to you.

If you are worried about how you are feeling please find someone to talk to. If you do not feel able to talk to family or friends, then you may wish to contact your doctor

Shock, disbelief, or numbness - Although you understand that the person has died it can take some time for you to feel the loss.

Anger - Whilst anger is a common emotion when someone has died it can be very difficult to cope with. Some people find it helpful to write about their feelings. This could be in a letter to the person you feel angry towards, even if this is never sent. Do not feel surprised if you sometimes feel angry with the person who has died. Try and share these feelings with someone you trust.

Guilt - These kinds of feelings are common. Again, talking them through with someone who can listen can help to put these feelings into perspective.

Relief - You may feel relieved for the person who died, or you may feel relief for yourself. Watching someone who is important to you die is difficult. It is understandable to feel  relief when this part of the journey is over. It reflects the difficult and challenging time you have been through .

“I can’t go on” - Feelings of being overwhelmed by grief and sadness may make you feel that you are unable to cope.

If you are concerned about how, you are feeling try and talk to your doctor. If you have a relative or friend who you can talk to, share your feelings with them.

Physical feelings - You may feel unwell. It is normal for people to have physical symptoms of their grief. It is important to talk to your doctor to rule out any illness. Try and rest as much as possible, eat as healthily as you can and drink plenty of fluids.

For further help and advice, please visit:

• Derbyshire Health Care - Helpline and Support Service
• Derbyshire Bereavement Hub
• National Bereavement Alliance - Grief support guide

It is normal for adults to worry about children and young people who may be affected by this experience of death.

Try to be open and honest with children and young people. Explain things in easy-to-understand terms.

It can be tempting to protect children by saying things like “Grandad has gone to sleep”. This can be confusing for a child who does not then understand why Grandad can’t wake up. It could cause anxiety for the child when other people are going to sleep, or you want them to go to sleep.

Children and young people may like the time to share their feelings. They might jump in and out of their grief. This can be hard to understand when you feel very overwhelmed by it yourself. Let adults who care for the child know about what has happened, especially their school, nursery, or child minder.

It can be very helpful for children and young people to be involved in the planning of the funeral. They may want to go to the funeral too.  If we are open and honest with children and explain what to expect, they usually cope well with going to the funeral.  It can be very helpful in coming to terms with the death.

You might be worried that your own feelings and emotions may affect the child. Showing your emotions in front of children is fine if they understand why you are emotional. It can help at times to encourage them to show their thoughts and feelings.

You can find a helpful online resource on the topic here.

A case note review, or review of the person’s medical records might happen after someone has died. Case note reviews are done by all NHS Trusts. This is to learn from what has happened.

The reviews aim to develop and improve healthcare.

Reviews can also happen when there has been a significant concern raised. This could be:

• About the care we have given to a patient.
• When the death is sudden, unexpected or accidental.

A clinician, who was not directly involved, will look carefully at each part  of the person’s care.

There are also processes NHS Trusts need to follow if:

• A patient had a learning disability and/or Autism.
• Is a child.
• The death was a result of an inpatient mental health.
• The death was caused by another person.
• A patient had hospital-acquired Covid-19 at the time of death.
• The person died by suicide.

 If this is the case, we will give you the details about this.  

If you would like any further information or would like to talk about any aspects of care, please contact the Mortality Review Facilitator in the Patient Safety Team on 01246515807.

If you have any concerns  about the care provided, please contact the Patient Experience Team 01773 525119.

Pastoral Care and Spiritual support: Derby City Centre Chaplaincy Services are working with DCHS to offer confidential:

• Support.
• Comfort.
• A listening ear.

They are a Christian Pastoral service. They support people of all faiths and people  who do not have a faith. They can also put you in touch with a chaplaincy service provided by other faiths. If you would like to be put in touch with a Chaplain, please contact the Patient Experience Team on 01773 525119

British Humanist Association

T: 0207 324 3060

W: British Humanist Association
 

Marie Curie

T: 0800 090 2309                                         

W: Marie Curie | Bereavement
 

Cruse Bereavement Care

T: 0844 477 9400

E: helpline@cruse.org.uk                                                                               

W: Cruse.org | Get Support
 

Lesbian and Gay Bereavement

T: 0300 3300 630

W: Widowed and young
 

National Association of Funeral Directors

T: 0121 711 1343

W: National Association of Funeral Directors

Pure Cremation

W: Pure Cremation
 

The Samaritans

W: Samaritans | Every life lost to suicide is a tragedy | Here to listen

Derby and Derbyshire Emotional Health and Wellbeing

W: Derby and Derbyshire Emotional Health and Wellbeing
 

Probate and Inheritance Tax

T:  0300 123 1072

Your feedback matters

We know that dying and death can be difficult to talk about, but we would really like to hear from people who have cared for someone at the end of life, to ensure that future services are in line with what people need, and what is important to them.

It’s only by hearing your experiences, in your own words, that we can truly understand what we’re doing well and what needs to change.

We listen to your feedback and we use it to improve our services and deliver the best possible care that we can. You can make a big difference to the future care we provide.

How was your care or the care of your loved one?

You can share feedback with us in whichever way suits you best. You can:

Visit the Care Opinion website at : https://www.careopinion.org.uk/

Or

Contact the Patient Experience Team at: dchst.patientexperienceteam@nhs.net - T: 01773525119