Bereavement

Medical Certificate of Death

The Bereavement  team will be able to inform you where and when to collect the Medical Certificate Cause of Death.

To avoid any unnecessary delays, please telephone Bereavement service between 10am and 12 noon on the first working day after the person has died. Call 01704 704135.

The death certificate is completed by a doctor as soon as possible (usually after ward rounds in the morning) and will be given to you by a member of the Bereavement service at your appointment.

When arriving at Southport hospital, please ask reception to let the team know you are here. If there is no one there, call Switchboard by following the instructions on the desk.

Personal belongings

The patient’s personal belongings may be collected at the same time as the certificate. Belongings are kept on the ward for collection. You will need to sign an indemnity form at the General Office to collect any money or valuables held by the hospital for safe keeping.

Funeral arrangements

You may wish to appoint and contact a funeral director before collecting the certificate.  If you want support with funeral planning or advice, the Bereavement service or Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care service is available to help.

Financial assistance toward the cost of the funeral may be available if you or your partner is receiving Income Support, Family Credit or Housing Benefit.  For more information call 0845 606 0265.

Cremation

If a cremation is planned, the hospital has to arrange for two doctors to sign the cremation form. The funeral director will require this form to finalise arrangements and will collect directly from the hospital.

Visiting your relative

If you wish to see your loved one at the hospital, this can be arranged weekdays between 9.30am and 4pm. To make an appointment, telephone the Bereavement team on 01704 704014. A limited service is available during evenings and weekends.

Tell Us Once service

Tell Us Once is a Government service which makes it easier for you to inform Government and council departments of a death.

The service allows you to provide all relevant information to the Department for Work and Pensions who then pass that information on to the people who need to know, which will reduce the time and effort involved in contacting different Government and council departments separately.