The National Bereavement Service provides practical and emotional assistance after a death. If you or a loved one is experiencing loss, you can access free support today

Telephone: 0800 0246 121

Website: www.nationalbereavementservice.org

When someone registered at our surgery passes away, we ask that the next of kin contact us as soon as possible so that we can arrange the next steps. These will depend on whether the person died at home or in hospital, and whether the death was expected. The key documents that will need to be written include the Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death (MCCD) and a Cremation Form if needed. These will be written by the doctor who was last responsible for their care.

Once the MCCD has been written it is sent directly to the Registry office. This should take no more than 5 days but there can be delays if we need to refer someone to the coroner. After this you will be able to book an appointment to register the death. Please do not book an appointment until a doctor has confirmed that the MCCD has been written, otherwise the registry office may cancel your booking. Register a death: Book an appointment | Essex County Council.

The doctor last responsible for the person's care will ask the next of kin if they wanted to be cremated. If so, they will also need to know the name of the funeral home they will be going to. Cremation forms will be sent directly to the funeral home.

When someone has passed away in their home, it is usually the responsibility of the GP to determine the cause of death. If the cause of death is expected, the GP will refer the deceased patient to the Medical Examiner at Broomfield, who will review the person's recent medical history to confirm or offer an alternative to the cause proposed by the GP.

Unfortunately, sometimes people pass away unexpectedly. If the GP doesn't know why someone has died, or if they haven't seen them face to face in the last 28 days, we need to refer them to the coroner to determine the cause of death. 

Medical Examiners

From 9th September 2024, it will be a statutory requirement for all deaths in the community to be referred to a Medical Examiners. The medical examiner system will provide independent scrutiny of all deaths that aren’t referred to the coroner. Freshwell have already adopted this policy. 

Medical examiners review medical records and work with doctors to complete a medical certificate of the cause of death (MCCD), commonly known as the death certificate. They talk to the family about their experience of care and discuss and agree the proposed MCCD with them.

You can read more information about the medical examiner service and the medical certification of the cause of death here: https://www.midandsouthessex.ics.nhs.uk/health/choose-well/medical-examiners-service/

When someone passes away in hospital, the doctor who was in charge of their care while they were admitted will write their MCCD. If they passed away at Broomfield, the hospital will give you a booklet about their bereavement care services 

Broomfield Hospital Bereavement Services: 01245 514820

When someone passes away at Farleigh Hospice, the doctor who was in charge of their care while they were admitted will write their MCCD. The Medical Examiner service is also in place in hospices. Farleigh offer bereavement support to people affected by the passing of someone under their care

Contact Us - Farleigh Hospice