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Bereavement advice

Velindre NHS Trust

 

Bereavement advice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction

Please accept our deepest sympathy at this time. We have written this leaflet to help you understand the practical arrangements that you now have to make. We understand that it is often difficult to remember all the information that you are given when someone has died, and we hope that this leaflet will help you with some of the arrangements.

 

 

At Velindre Hospital

 

  • The nursing staff will give you a medical certificate showing the cause of death. We will also give you the patient’s personal belongings (we will ask you to sign a form as a receipt for the belongings you take away).  If you unable to take the medical certificate away on the day, you can contact Velindre the next day on 029 20615 888 to arrange to collect it.

 

  • We may ask you if you want the funeral to be a burial or a cremation so we can fill in the necessary forms.

 

You will need to contact a funeral director of your choice who will help you with the funeral arrangements. You don’t have to wait until the death certificate is issued. You will find a list of funeral directors in the phone book.

 

 

 

Registering the death

You must take the medical certificate we give you to the Registrar of Births and Deaths as soon as possible. You must register the death within five days of the person dying,

and you can only do this at the Registrar’s office in Cardiff. Even if this is not your local Registrar’s office, you will still need to register the death in Cardiff. The address of the Registrar’s office is:

 

The Register Office

City Hall (North West Entrance)

Cathays Park

Cardiff

CF10 3ND

Phone: 029 2087 1684

Website: www.cardiff.gov.uk

E-mail: registrars@cardiff.gov.uk

 

The office is open from 9am to 3.30pm, Monday to Friday, and you must make an appointment.

 

Parking is available but you will need to pay and display.

 

 

You should take the following documents with you:

  • The medical certificate from the hospital that shows the cause of death
  • *The medical card of the person who has died, if available
  • *Birth and marriage certificates, if available

 

If the documents marked with * are not available, do not worry or delay the registration to find them.

 

 

The Registrar will ask you for the following information about the person who has died:

  • The date and place of birth
  • Last (usual) address
  • Full name (their name before they were married, if appropriate)
  • Occupation
  • If a married woman or a widow, the full name and occupation of her husband

 

 

The Registrar will give you:

  • A certificate for burial or cremation (the Green Form) for you to give to the funeral director; and
  • The form BD8/344Y (It is important that you get this form as you need to take it to the Benefits Agency who will then sort out any benefits and pay any money you are owed).

 

You will be able to buy certified copies of the registration of death certificate which you will need for any pension claims, insurance policies and financial issues. (The number of copies you need will vary from person to person.) You may want to ask for more copies when you register the death because the price increases if you need one at a later date. Each copy costs about £11.00.

Who you need to tell

You will need to tell the following people about the death:

  • Local social services, for example, meals on wheels, day centres and home care
  • Any other hospital the person was going to
  • The family doctor
  • Banks and building societies
  • The local social security office (to cancel any pensions, allowances or benefits)
  • Any employer or trade union
  • A child’s or young person’s teacher, employer or college if a relative or close friend has died
  • The car insurance company, if appropriate. This is because people driving a car that is insured in the name of the person who has died are not legally insured.

 

Help with the cost of the funeral

The cost of the funeral may cause financial difficulties for some people. Under certain circumstances, you may be eligible for help from the social fund funeral payment. If you or your partner receive one of the benefits or tax credits listed below and are the person responsible for the funeral expenses, you may be able to get help from the fund.

 

  • Income Support
  • Housing Benefit
  • Pension Credit
  • Income based jobseekers allowance
  • Income based employment and support allowance
  • Universal credit
  • Child tax credit paid at a rate that exceeds the family element
  • Working tax credit that includes the disabled worker or severe disability element

 

The person who has died must also have lived in the UK at the date of their death.

 

You may wish to seek advice regarding which benefits or grants that you may be entitled to or you may want to speak to someone for support. You can contact the Velindre and Macmillan Welfare Rights Advisors based within the Supportive Care Team. Please telephone 02920 316277 or email VCC.SupportiveCare@wales.nhs.uk

 

Sources of support

The death of someone close to you can be one of the most devastating experiences that you have to face in your life. It is often comforting to share your grief with your family, close friends, GP or minister of a religion. Sometimes, people find it helpful to talk to someone who can give them advice or who can just listen to them.

For help with finding support in your area, contact The Supportive Care Team at Velindre hospital on 02920 196132

 

The following organisations may be able to give you specialist advice and support.

 

Age Concern

A befriending service for people over 55

Phone: 029 20683600

Citizens’ Advice Bureau

Phone: 03444 772020

 

Compassionate Friends

A national self-help organisation for bereaved parents

Phone: 0345 1232304

Website: www.tcf.org.uk

 

Cruse Bereavement Service

Support for individuals and families who have been bereaved

 

Cruse Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan

Phone: 029 2022 61661 (10am to 12 noon, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays only)

 

Cruse Bereavement Helpline

Phone: 0808 808 1677 (9.30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday)

Website: www.cruse.uk

 

Probate Registry of Wales

Phone: 029 2047 4373 (9.30am to 4pm, Monday to Friday)

 

Samaritans

A confidential helpline is open 24 hours a day

Cardiff and the Vale - phone: 029 2034 4022

Bridgend - phone: 01656 662333

Newport - phone: 01633 259000

 

Tenovus Cancer Support Line

Phone: 0808 808 1010 (9am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday)

Website: www.tenovus.com

 

 

Winston’s Wish Family Line

Provide support and resources for children, teenagers and parents

Phone: 0845 203 0405 (9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday)

Website: www.winstonswish.org.uk

 

Good Grief Trust

www.goodgrieftrust.org

An online search engine, that provides links to bereavement support organisations

 

Maggie’s

Maggie’s Cardiff: Bereavement services available for families, these include face to face counselling or bereavement groups.

Contacts for Maggie’s Cardiff:

General Enquiries:                    02922 408024

Wesite:                       www.maggies.org/our-centres/maggies-cardiff

 

Maggie’s Swansea: Bereavement services available for families, these include face to face counselling or bereavement groups.

Contacts for Maggie’s Swansea:

General Enquiries:                    01792 200000

Website:                     www.maggies.org/our-centres/maggies-s