End of Life Care - Preparing for the loss of a loved one
For some, the death of a loved one can come following a short illness, for others, their loved one may have been ill for many weeks or months, receiving care in a hospital, nursing home, hospice, or in their own home. In these circumstances, family and friends are often made aware when the person has reached the stage of receiving end of life care.
It is often at this point that people start considering what will happen after death occurs, and how the setting they are in can affect what they need to do.
Nursing or Care Home
If the person is being cared for in a nursing or care home, then the staff will talk to you about your wishes and ask which funeral directors you want to appoint when the time comes. This means that should your loved one pass away during the night, that they will arrange for the doctor to visit, and then contact us on your behalf. If you want the opportunity to visit your loved one before they are brought into our care, the nursing home will arrange for this to happen. The doctor will usually complete the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death and forward this to the register office.
Hospital or Hospice
When someone passes away in a hospital or hospice, the person will usually remain in the care of the facility until the necessary paperwork has been completed. The hospital or hospice doctor will usually complete the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death which they will forward to the register office. Following the death, the next of kin should contact the funeral director. We will then liaise with the hospital or hospice and arrange to bring your loved one into care once all necessary paperwork has been completed.
Private Residence
If you are caring for your loved one at home, then you will usually be given support to do so by their GP and district nursing team, and perhaps palliative care nurses. When you are aware that death is near, you may wish to contact the funeral director to discuss any wishes or concerns, however, we do offer a 24hour service, so you do not need to inform us of an anticipated death.
Once death has occurred, the person’s doctor should be contacted. If a palliative care nurse is present, he or she may do this for you. The doctor’s surgery, or out of hours team, will arrange for the doctor, or qualified medical practitioner to visit as soon as possible – this can sometimes take several hours. At the end of their visit, they will normally advise you to contact the funeral director if you haven’t already done so.
You can contact us at any time of the day or night, and we can either arrange to come to the house soon after the doctor has been, or if preferred, arrange to come in a few hours to allow time for family and friends to pay their respects.
The Sudden or Unexpected Death of a Loved One
Sometimes a person can die suddenly, with no warning or prior illness, or they may die because of an accident. Whatever the circumstances, a sudden or unexpected death will need to be investigated by the coroner, and it may be necessary for the person to have a post-mortem examination.
The involvement of the coroner, and subsequent post-mortem should one be needed, may cause a delay to the funeral, but in most cases, this will only be a short delay of a few days. You do not have to wait to contact the funeral director, as they will be able to guide you and liaise with the coroner’s office to ensure you have all the information you need, at the right time. While you may not be able to set a date for the funeral straight away, you will be able to discuss what options are available to you. There will be important decisions to make, for instance, whether your loved one will be cremated or buried, and your funeral director will be able to give you the information you need to make informed decisions.
The circumstances in which the person has died may affect what initially happens.
At the scene of an accident
Should a person die at the scene of an accident, then the attending police will take charge of the necessary arrangements. They will liaise with the coroner’s officer and arrangements will be made for the deceased person to be transferred to the mortuary, this may be done by the On-Call funeral director providing the out of hours service to the coroner. Once you are ready to make the funeral arrangements, you can appoint your own funeral director to arrange the funeral.
If a person has been found showing no signs of life
If the body of a person has been found showing no signs of life, and they were not receiving ‘End of life care’, whether in the person’s home, garden, or other location, the person finding the body should call the emergency services on 999. The operator will ask some questions and give you instructions on what to do, and depending on the circumstances, may send an ambulance, and or police.
If paramedics attend, they will either attempt resuscitation or pronounce death.
If the cause of death is unclear or suspicious, or the death was unexpected, then the paramedics, or police may call the coroner’s officer for further instructions.
The paramedics or police attending the incident will either arrange for the On-Call funeral director to transfer the body to the mortuary, or they may ask you to appoint your chosen funeral director.
Death abroad
When a death has happened abroad (not in England or Wales), it can take several days to arrange for repatriation, therefore you will not be able to set a date and time for the funeral straight away; however, you can start thinking about the type of funeral you would like for your loved one, for example, religious or non-religious, burial or cremation.
A body being repatriated from an area outside of the UK must be embalmed before travel. Due to the chemicals used in embalming, a woodland burial may not be permitted. Burial eleswhere, or cremation are permitted.
The funeral director in the country where death occurred will liaise with all the relevant authorities, including your chosen UK funeral director, to arrange the repatriation of the person’s body.
Once the body has been received into the UK, the coroner will need to issue specific documentation to allow the funeral to take place and they may need to open an investigation into the death.
A death occurring in Scotland will also require specific documentation from the coroner.
The funeral director will be able to advise you on all matters regarding the repatriation of a deceased person, taking into account any legal requirements and expected delays to the arrangements of the funeral.
Bringing a deceased person into care
Our staff have the training and experience to safely transfer your loved one into our care. They will be treated with the upmost of care, dignity, and respect at all times and any instructions given for their care based on religious or spiritual beliefs will be followed. Your loved one will be bought to our funeral home and cared for in a modern, temperature controlled facility until the day of the funeral.
You will be given the opportunity to express your wishes on what clothes they will be dressed in and, how they will be prepared for viewing, i.e. hair, make-up, shaving. By prior arrangement, you can visit your loved one in our chapel of rest.