Death and Bereavement

If Death Occurs At Home

1. Telephone the doctor who will visit to confirm that death has taken place.
2. Contact a funeral director.
3. Arrange to collect the doctor’s Medical Certificate of Death (usually from the surgery).
4. Take this to the Registrars Office, (together with the deceased’s Medical Card and Birth Certificate, if available) for the area in which the death took place. Alternatively you can register by declaration at any convenient Registrars Office but certificates will not be available as these will have to be posted to you a few days later.
5. The Registrar will normally issue a Green coloured certificate for you to give to your funeral director who will look after necessary arrangements for the funeral. The Registrar will also issue a white notification certificate for the DSS. They will also enquire as to the number of Certified Copies you require for dealing with the deceased finances (a fee is payable for each copy).

If The Death Occurs In Hospital

1. Contact a funeral director to inform him his services are required.
2. Collect the certificate from the hospital then follow 4 – 5 days as above

Note For Cremation

Your funeral director will usually liaise directly with the surgery regarding the additional certification required.

Please see the government website – What to do after someone dies:

www.gov.uk/after-a-death/overview

Counselling/Bereavement Support

Bereavement Service helps children and adults in Islington who are experiencing bereavement. Anyone in Islington who has been bereaved, regardless of disability, ethnicity, gender, race, religion, race, or sexuality, or whether the bereavement was recent or a long time ago. There are free and confidential bereavement counselling service below:

• Cruse Bereavement Care: http://www.crusebereavementcare.org.uk/

       National Day by Day Helpline (Tel) 0844 477 9400

       North London branch (Tel) 020 8340 1716

       Young people’s helpline (Tel) 0808 808 1677 http://www.rd4u.org.uk    

• Camden, City, Islington & Westminster Bereavement Service: 

        www.bereavement-counselling.org/(Tel) 020 7284 0090

• CARIS Islington (Islington Churches Bereavement Service): http://www.carisislington.org/ 

       (Tel) 020 7281 5200

• Jewish Bereavement Counselling Service: http://www.jvisit.org.uk/hospital/index.htm               (Tel) 020 8457 9710  or 020 8349 0839

• Lesbian and Gay Bereavement Project Helpline:

         General Enquires: 020 7833 1675

         Helpline: 020 7403 5969 – Tuesday: 7.30pm to 9.30pm

FOR CHILDREN

• Childhood Bereavement Network :  www.childhoodbereavementnetwork.org.uk

         (Tel) 020 7843 6309

• Winston’s Wish: http://www.winstonswish.org.uk/ (Tel) 08452 03 04 05

• Grief Encounter: http://www.griefencounter.org.uk/ (Tel) 020 8371 8455