Bereavement Services

Bereavement Officers at our hospitals are informed of all deaths and they are here to help bereaved family and friends through the immediate administrative process following a death.

Bereavement booklet

We have produced a bereavement booklet to provide essential information for bereaved family and friends.

Open the University Hospital Lewisham bereavement booklet here >>

Open the Queen Elizabeth Hospital bereavement booklet here >> 

Collection of the Medical Cause of Death Certificate

The death of someone you love can be overwhelming, and you may find it difficult to know what to do next.

The bereavement office is informed of all deaths in the hospital and is able to help bereaved family and friends through the immediate administrative process following death.

There is a legal process following death so please make sure you contact the bereavement office before making an appointment to register the death. If you do not do this the registrars of births and deaths will be unable to complete the registration and you will then need to make a second appointment.

Please contact the bereavement office about how to obtain the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD)

The bereavement office is open Monday to Friday 8am - 4pm (closed at weekends and bank holidays)

Queen Elizabeth Hospital
University Hospital Lewisham

Patient's property

This will be given back to you from the ward, or may be obtained from the general office.

Function of the Medical Examiner Service:

The Medical Examiner Service is an independent statutory service set up by NHSE to enable independent review of all deaths by a senior doctor or consultant in all hospital Trusts. The Medical Examiner Office scrutinises all deaths with LGT.

Medical examiners are senior medical doctors who provide independent scrutiny of deaths that are not investigated by a coroner. They are trained in the legal and clinical elements of death certification processes. The purpose of the medical examiner system is to:

  • Provide greater safeguards for the public by ensuring independent scrutiny of all non-coronial deaths conducting proportionate reviews of relevant clinical documentation.
  • Ensure the appropriate direction of deaths to the coroner
  • Provide a better service for the bereaved and an opportunity for them to raise any concerns to a doctor not involved in the care of the deceased and better understand the circumstances of death
  • Improve the quality of death certification
  • Improve the quality of mortality data
  • Improve care quality as their findings can inform clinical governance and learning to improve future patient care

The Medical Examiner or Medical Examiner Officer will contact the designated family member, to explain what has been written on the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death and give them an opportunity to ask questions or raise concerns about the causes of death, or about the care the person received before their death.

Medical Examiners and Medical Examiner Officers will discuss your feedback, questions and concerns. If they consider any issues with care need further investigation, they will refer these to someone who can do this work.

The Medical Examiner Team are available Monday to Friday 8am - 4pm.

University Hospital Lewisham
Queen Elizabeth Hospital

The Coroner

Where the death was sudden, unexpected or the patient's stay in hospital has been less than 24 hours, Doctors may not be able to issue a certificate. There are also specific circumstances when the hospital Doctor is required by law to report the death to the Coroner.

Whilst the Bereavement Office staff will be able to provide you with information relating to the procedures following the death of a patient it is not possible for them to influence any processes where the offices of the Coroner are involved. The Coroner is an independent judicial office holder, appointed and paid by the relevant local authority.

The Coroner is usually a doctor or lawyer who has a legal responsibility for establishing the time, date, place, and cause of death, also any circumstances that may have contributed to the death.

The Coroner may, in some circumstances, arrange for a post-mortem examination to be carried out.  The Coroner has the legal right to order a post mortem examination.

 A Coroner’s Officer will contact you or another member of the deceased’s family if you are not the next of kin; they will explain the reason for their involvement, the Registration procedure and will inform you if a post-mortem examination is necessary. However, the involvement of the Coroner does not generally cause any delay with the funeral.

Coroner’s Office
Southwark Coroners Court
1 Tennis Street
Southwark
SE1 1YD

Phone: 020 7525 4200.

Registration

All deaths must be registered within 5 days of the Medical Examiner or Coroner completing their scrutiny or investigation.

You can arrange this appointment yourself, but it must be arranged for a time and date after you have attended your appointment to collect the Medical Cause of Death Certificate.

When you telephone the Registrar’s Office they will inform you what documents you need to take with you.

Greenwich
  • Phone:  020 8921 5015
  • Email:  registrar@royalgreenwich.gov.uk
  • Address:  Royal Borough of Greenwich Registrar’s Office, Woolwich Town Hall, Wellington Street, Woolwich, SE18 6PW

Opening times:

  • Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm
Lewisham

Death registrations take place in-person at the Register Office. You will need a pre-booked appointment to register a death. You can book an appointment online here: Lewisham Council - Register a death

  • Phone:  020 8314 9268
  • Email:  register.office@lewisham.gov.uk
  • Address:  Lewisham Registrar’s Office, 368 Lewisham High Street, Lewisham, London, SE13 6LQ

Opening times

  • Monday and Tuesday, 9.10am-4.15pm
  • Wednesday, 10.00am-4.15pm
  • Thursday and Friday, 9.10am-4.15pm

Funeral directors

The organising of a funeral can be done as soon after death as you feel comfortable. The deceased may have left instructions regarding their wishes for the funeral arrangements; you do not need to wait until you have Registered the death. However, do not feel you have to rush, take time to think about what you want.

You may wish to approach more than one Funeral Director to get an estimate of their costs before making your choice; you will find that your chosen Funeral Director will be able to guide you in every detail in making the funeral arrangements.

The Bereavement Officer will be able to advise you of names of Funeral Directors in your area if required but they are not allowed to make any personal recommendation as this is against hospital policy.

Your chosen Funeral Director will be able to act on your behalf; they will contact the Hospital Mortuary to arrange collection of the body and any necessary documentation.

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