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Bereavement Services

Please accept our sincere condolences if you are visiting this site following the loss of a relative or friend. Bereavement is never an easy experience and when someone you care about dies, even if it was expected, it is often hard to take in. Death of a loved one is always a difficult and emotional experience.

During the Covid 19 pandemic this has been even more challenging for people. The necessary restrictions on hospital visiting, the increasing numbers of people and households needing to self-isolate or socially distance from friends and family, makes the grieving process all the more difficult.

Our Bereavement Officers will offer you help, advice and guide you through the processes following the loss of a loved one. They will:

  • Co-ordinate the completion of the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death and relevant paperwork
  • Advise if a death is referred to the Coroner
  • Provide you with information on how to register the death
  • Look after and arrange collection of the deceased’s property
  • Liaise with outside agencies as appropriate – GP’s, Coroner’s office, Funeral Directors, Registry Office etc
  • Offer you some resources if you feel you need some support.

If you would like some spiritual support and guidance, the multi-faith hospital Chaplaincy Team is also available for counsel and prayer 24 hours a day and they may be contacted through the hospital switchboard 01227 766877.

Bereavement Office contact details:

Kent and Canterbury Hospital, Canterbury
Telephone: 01227 864006
Email: ekhuft.rsokch@nhs.net

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital, Margate
Telephone:  01843 234452
Email: ekhuft.rsoqeqm@nhs.net

William Harvey Hospital, Ashford
Telephone: 01233 616887
Email: ekhuft.rsowhh@nhs.net

Our offices are open Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays) - 10am to 4pm. Please note our phone line can be very busy at times, if you are unable to get through, please leave a message on our answerphone with your name, telephone number and your enquiry. A member of the Bereavement team will respond to your message as soon as they are available to do so.

Sudden Bereavement Support

For sudden or unexpected bereavement, you can also get help and support from the charity Sudden. Find out more about Sudden Bereavement Services.

Medical Cause of Death Certificates

Regrettably, due to the current situation with Covid 19 and for the safety of all those attending the hospital, the process of collecting the Medical Cause of Death Certificate has been temporarily changed.  The following information replaces some of the information we detail in our bereavement booklet.

Once completed, the Medical Cause of Death Certificate will be emailed by our Bereavement Officer to the Kent Registers Office.  The Register Office will contact you by telephone to register the deceased’s death over the phone.  No face to face appointments are being made by the Register Office, they will contact you directly by telephone only.  You will need to appoint a person (informant) to take this call to register the death of the deceased, this can be a friend, family member, or the funeral director. The informant will be contacted as soon as possible by the registration service to complete the registration.

Please read our Medical Cause of Death Registration Process page to help you with the process in place at the moment and what you need to do.  The days following your bereavement can be very difficult, but it is important that formalities are dealt with promptly.

For more information and advice, please take a look at the information in the links below or contact one of the Bereavement Offices.


Would you like the information in these leaflets in another format or language?

We value equality of access to our information and services and are therefore happy to provide the information in these leaflets in Braille, Easy Read, large print, or audio - upon request.

If you would like a copy of this document in your language, please contact the ward or department responsible for your care.

Pacjenci chcący uzyskać kopię tego dokumentu w swoim języku ojczystym powinni skontaktować się z oddziałem lub działem odpowiedzialnym za opiekę nad nimi.

Ak by ste chceli kópiu tohto dokumentu vo vašom jazyku, prosím skontaktujte nemocničné pracovisko, alebo oddelenie zodpovedné za starostlivosť o vás.

Pokud byste měli zájem o kopii tohoto dokumentu ve svém jazyce, kontaktujte prosím oddělení odpovídající za Vaši péči.

Чтобы получить копию этого документа на вашем родном языке, пожалуйста обратитесь вотделение, ответственное за ваше лечение.


Contact us

If you cannot find the leaflet you are looking for, please contact the Patient Information Team. 

Please note: East Kent Hospitals cannot be held responsible for the content of external websites