Bereavement services

We wish to offer our sincere sympathy to you, your family and friends in your bereavement.

We understand that the loss of a loved one can be a difficult and emotional time. We have a dedicated bereavement support team who will assist you.

The bereavement support officer will help you with many of the practical issues. These include making arrangements for you to collect the medical certificate of cause of death and any personal effects and valuables, as well as making an appointment for you to register the death. They can also help you make an appointment to visit the person who has died.

You need an appointment to collect the medical certificate of cause of death as sometimes certificates can take a number of days to complete and may not be ready when you arrive.  It is understandable that you may be feeling worried at this time, so you are more than welcome to contact the bereavement support officers directly for information and help.

Contacting the bereavement support officers

The bereavement support officers can be contacted on the following numbers from Monday to Friday between 8am and 4pm (except bank holidays).

Messages can be left on the answering machine or you can contact the hospital switchboard and ask them to bleep the bereavement support officer.

Making arrangements to view your relative

Relatives and close friends may wish to see the person who has died while they remain in the care of the hospital, others may prefer to wait until they have been transferred to the care of a funeral director. Some people may wish to remember the person as they were. It is a personal choice. If you do wish to visit at the hospital you must make an appointment before you arrive. Please speak to the bereavement support officer or you can contact the mortuary directly. The mortuary staff will arrange the viewing to respect all religious views and customs. Please tell us, when you make your appointment, of any special arrangements that you wish to make.

You can arrange an appointment to visit by contacting the following numbers from Monday and Saturday between 8am to 4pm.

Outside of these hours on evenings, weekends and bank holidays you should phone and tell the switchboard operator you would like to arrange a visit. They will contact a member of the team to make an appointment with you. In some circumstances the appointment may need to be arranged for the following day.

The mortuary and bereavement service team are committed to looking after the deceased with the same care and dignity as the trust provides for the living, we also commit to support families during what can be a very sad time.

Useful information

Practical help and advice after a death