Firstly, we would like to offer our sincere condolences on the recent loss of your loved one.
This page will advise you about the process of arranging the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death Certificate (MCCD), so you can register your loved one’s death.
At this stage, please do not book an appointment with the Registrars, until you have been advised the MCCD is ready.
After your loved one has passed away, the doctors within our hospital will complete the MCCD. We will aim to do complete this within three working days (Monday-Friday, excluding bank holidays).
To help us with this process we will need from you:
- The name of the informant (the person who will be registering the death and organising the funeral) dealing with the registration of the death
- The telephone number for the informant
- Whether you will be arranging a burial or a cremation for the deceased
- The name of the funeral director you will be asking to look after your loved one.
You need to ring or email the Bereavement Office at the hospital your loved one died, to provide the above information. Please contact the appropriate Bereavement Office using the details below:
Kent and Canterbury Hospital
Tel: 01227 864006
Email: ekhuft.rsokch@nhs.net
Office hours: 9.30am – 3pm
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital, Margate
Tel: 01843 234452
Email: ekhuft.rsoqeqm@nhs.net
Office hours: 10am – 4pm
William Harvey Hospital, Ashford
Tel: 01233 616887
Email: ekhuft.rsowhh@nhs.net
Office hours: 10am – 4pm
The Bereavement offices are open Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays) to take calls. If the team are busy, or it is after office hours, please leave a voicemail and we will return your call as soon as possible. We are very sorry we are unable to see people in person.
The ward may have already given you your loved one’s belongings. However, if the Bereavement Office have received any belongings, we will contact you to arrange for these to be returned to you at your home. The Bereavement Office will discuss the arrangements with you. Again, for the time being we are unable to personally hand belongings back to you. We do apologise for any inconvenience this may cause you.
As part of our process you will receive a phone call from an independent Medical Examiner Officer, who will discuss the cause of death with you. This is routine and not a cause for concern. Once the MCCD is completed, it will be sent electronically by our Bereavement Team to the Kent Registers Office.
At this point you will need to contact the Kent Registrars via telephone on 03000 41 51 51 to book an appointment to register the death. For more information, please visit kent.gov.uk for further information and advice. You will be asked to book an appointment to go to a Register Office. At the appointment the Register Officer team will help you apply for the formal death certificate.
If you have chosen a cremation, the forms needed for the funeral director will be available for them to collect from our mortuary team. The forms (the green form) your funeral director needs to finalise arrangements, will be provided by the Register Office and you will need to ensure these are passed to the funeral director.
If you would like some help and support coping with your loss, the Bereavement Services team can provide you with some information, please do ask. Pilgrims Hospices offer the Stepping Stones Bereavement Support Service. Some groups are available to anyone living in east Kent who needs bereavement support, even if their loved one was not a patient of the hospice.
To find out more, visit the Pilgrims Hospices website.
Once again we would like to pass on our condolences, to you and your family following your loss.
Yours faithfully
Bereavement Services team
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