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Bereavement and Medical Examiner Service

Bereavement Administration

We provide practical and emotional support to the immediate family or next of kin of anyone who dies within the Trust.

We support healthcare colleagues to:

  • complete the necessary paperwork promptly after a death
  • explain to the bereaved how to register a death

We also work closely with:

  • the coronerā€™s service
  • the registration service and local funeral directors.
  • the Medical Examiner Service

This helps the bereaved to access the information and services they need

Contact us:

  • 01296 316646 – Stoke Mandeville Hospital
  • 01494 425533 – Wycombe Hospital

Email:Ā bht.bereavementadminoffice@nhs.net

 

Medical Examiner service

All deaths in England and Wales must be discussed with a Medical Examiner or referred to the coroner.

Medical Examiners are senior doctors from a range of specialities including General Practice, who provide an independent review of deaths. They will only review cases where they have not been involved in the patientā€™s care.

The Medical Examiner will:

  1. Speak to the doctor to establish if a Medical Certificate of the cause of death (MCCD) can be written or if a coronerā€™s referral is required
  2. Review the relevant medical notes to look for possible points of learning
  3. Speak to the next of kin to explain what is written on the MCCD, answer any questions and listen to any feedback regarding their care

Any information obtained or suggestions for more in depth review will be passed on the to the relevant clinical teams.

The Medical Examiner team will then sign the MCCD and forward it to the Registration service so that the family can register the death.

Contact us: 01296 831919

bht.buckinghamshiremedicalexaminerofficers@nhs.net

Stoke Mandeville & Wycombe hospitals

Families will be contacted during the morning of the next working day following the death, by the bereavement team.

The bereavement office staff will then guide families through the next steps.

They will contact the medical team to request that they make an appointment to attend the bereavement/ME office to complete a Medical Cause of Death Certificate (MCCD) or make a coronerā€™s referral if applicable. The reasons for this will be discussed with you.

The Doctor will then attend and discuss with the Medical Examiner regarding completion of the MCCD. The family will also be contacted by the ME service and once written the MCCD will be emailed to the Buckinghamshire Registration Office There is no requirement for families to attend the bereavement office.

The bereavement office staff will explain the process of registering a death which is done in person at a Buckinghamshire Registry Office (situated in Aylesbury or Beaconsfield).

If families are present on the ward at the time of the death, they are encouraged to take all property home with them.

We offer a bereavement support call and onward referral.

Community hospitals (Amersham & Buckingham) & Florence Nightingale Hospice

Families will be advised who they need to contact, and the individual process involved, according to where the patient has died. This will follow a similar pattern to above but will mainly be dealt with by the ward teams as opposed to the bereavement office.

GP practices are made aware of a patientā€™s death by families, community health or social care professionals or ambulance staff.

Relatives should contact their GP surgery to discuss next steps.

An appropriate GP will either completeĀ a Medical Cause of Death Certificate (MCCD) or make a coronerā€™s referral if appropriate. The reasons for this will be discussed with you.

The MCCD, once written, is emailed to the Buckinghamshire Medical Examiner Service who will then review and speak to the GP and family as needed. The MCCD will then be sent to the Registration Office by the ME team. They will explain the process of registering a death which is done in person at a Buckinghamshire Registry office.

All teams involved in bereavement processes understand that urgent release of the body may be required for faith/cultural reasons. We will make every effort to avoid any delays and enable prompt death registration and body release. The ME service will accept referrals on the weekend and Bank Holidays mornings in order to facilitate this if it is possible.

Bereavement support and listening service

We offer individual bereavement support to anyone with a Buckinghamshire GP and can signpost on to other services for those from a different area.

Bereavement listeners help bereaved people to talk about their thoughts, feelings and ability to cope with life.

We provide a listening ear, experienced emotional support and time for the bereaved person to find ways to control their thoughts and feelings and to work through their grief.

Our team also provides confidential support to bereaved staff. In addition, we have a small specialist team able to provide individual support to children.

Contact us at Florence Nightingale hospice: 01296 332600

 

Further information