We offer our condolences to you at this time.
We understand that you may have important personal and cultural requests about the care of your loved one. Please let a member of staff know and we will do our best to help in any way that we can.
This may seem like a lot of information, but please take time and share it with a trusted family member or friend.
Overview of steps you will need to take
- NBT (North Bristol NHS Trust) Patient Affairs officers will contact you via phone the next working day following the death of your loved one.
- Contact funeral director and start to make funeral arrangements.
- Register the death.
- Finalise funeral arrangements with the funeral director.
Next of kin or another person acting for the deceased
The Patient Affairs team will contact the person listed as next of kin in hospital records to manage matters after the death. This person may or may not be a relative, depending on who the deceased chose. If no one was named, the closest relative or another responsible person will usually take on this role.
At this difficult time, it’s helpful for the next of kin to keep family and close friends informed. Please read the section below titled ‘Who can register a death?’ for more details.
What you will need to do first
Following the death of your loved one, you should receive a telephone call from the Patient Affairs team between 09:00 and 16:00 on the next working day. The Patient Affairs team will take some details from you, tell you what to do next and answer any questions you may have.
If you have a query, you can contact the Patient Affairs Office at Southmead Hospital on 0117 414 0184, Monday to Friday, 08:00 – 16:00.
Please note that the office is not open Saturdays, Sundays, or on Bank Holidays.
The Patient Affairs Office is located in the Sanctuary, Level 1, Gate 30 of the Brunel Building, Southmead Hospital.
Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD)
The Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) is a legal document that shows the cause of death. It must be signed by the hospital doctor who cared for your loved one and by an independent Medical Examiner. It can take a few days before it is ready.
In some cases, the doctor or Medical Examiner may need to contact the Coroner’s Office, which may delay the paperwork further.
Role of the Medical Examiner Service
The Medical Examiner Service is and independent service that is a legal requirement in England and Wales. It reviews all deaths that are not investigated by a coroner, offering an independent check of the cause of death.
The Medical Examiner Service aims to:
- Increase understanding and peace of mind for families.
- Make sure that causes of death are accurate.
- Make sure that appropriate deaths are sent to HM Coroner for investigation.
- Improve learning and patient safety in hospital by providing a review of care.
Medical Examiners (MEs) are independent senior medical doctors who will not have been involved at all in the care of your loved one.
They carefully review the clinical notes and meet with the doctor who cared for your loved one. They discuss the person’s care and the cause of death, before the doctor completes the MCCD.
MEs work with a team of Medical Examiner Officers (MEOs), who are specially trained in the legal and medical elements of death certification.
A Medical Examiner or Medical Examiner Officer will call you in the next few days. They will explain the wording on the MCCD and answer any questions you have. They will also advise you how to get the death certificate and other forms from the Register Office.
The Medical Examiner Office can share any feedback to the clinical team or hospital and may ask them to review the care given. This helps identify ways to improve patient care in the future.
The Medical Examiner Office will do their best to contact the deceased’s next of kin. If you have any questions and have not been able to speak with the team, please contact the Patient Affairs team.
For more information on the Medical Examiner Service, please visit The Medical Examiner Service - BNSSG Healthier Together
Once completed, the MCCD will be delivered to the Bristol Register Office from the Medical Examiner Office by email (you do not need to collect it in person).
What do I do next?
Once you have spoken to the Medical Examiner Office team, you can usually register the death.
You will need to make a phone appointment to register the death with the Bristol Register Office (0117 922 2800) or complete an online form through the Bristol City Council Website: Register a death
You should not make a Register Office appointment until you have spoken to the Medical Examiner Office team.
The coroner
Sometimes, the hospital doctor must report a death to the coroner before an MCCD is issued. They are a legal expert that must investigate certain types of deaths:
- Deaths where the cause is unknown.
- Deaths involving violence or trauma.
- Deaths caused by industrial diseases.
- Deaths from acute alcohol poisoning or drug related illnesses.
- Any other deaths thought to be unnatural.
The Coroner’s Office will gather information from the medical staff and the Medical Examiner. Then they will decide if a post-mortem and/or coroner’s inquest is needed.
In many cases they will give permission to issue the MCCD.
Coroner’s post-mortem
A post-mortem (sometimes called an autopsy) is an examination of a body after death.. If the death has been referred to the coroner, the MCCD cannot be released or the death registered until this is complete.
The post-mortem usually takes place within a short time of the death, at the coroner’s mortuary in Flax Bourton.
The Coroner’s Office will take over from the Patient Affairs Office and Medical Examiner Office. They will keep you informed of what is happening and guide you in the next steps that you should take.
The coroner does not require the consent of any other person for this to take place. Funeral directors are familiar with post-mortems and are usually happy to go ahead with funeral arrangements.
The Coroner’s Office will tell you when they have sent paperwork to the Register Office. You can then make an appointment to register the death.
The Coroner’s Office can be contacted on 01275 461 920. Opening hours: 07.30 - 15.30pm, Monday to Friday.
Coroner’s inquest
In some circumstances the coroner will proceed to open an inquest.
The purpose of an inquest is to find out four facts.
- Who the deceased was
- When they died
- Where they died
- How they died
The coroner’s inquest will include:
- Recording the medical cause of death.
- Completing a post-mortem, in some cases
- Asking you to provide a statement about your loved one, in some cases
- Asking the team who cared for the deceased to provide statements.
The coroner will consider this evidence, and there may be a hearing. This is a fact-finding hearing, not to place blame, but to answer the four questions above. You can attend the inquest hearing and ask questions.
The coroner will then record a conclusion, such as accident or suicide. The process can take many months to complete, but this does not mean you cannot have a funeral or celebration before it is finished. You will be kept up to date by the Coroner’s Office.
Property
If your loved one had property or clothing left with the Patient Affairs team, they will contact you to arrange its return or disposal. Jewellery is usually left on the person and will go to the funeral director, unless the family ask for it to be removed. Please make sure you agree on what should happen with the Patient Affairs Office. Items not collected within 3 months will be disposed of.
How to arrange to view your loved one after death
You may wish to come to the hospital’s viewing room to see your loved one. The viewing room is a separate room within the hospital Mortuary.
To do this, you can make an appointment with the Mortuary Team by phoning 0117 414 0184 between 08:00 - 16:00, Monday to Friday. We do not currently offer viewings on evenings or weekends.
Alternatively, you may prefer to wait until the deceased is transferred to the care of the chosen funeral director.
On the rare occasions when the cause of death may be a criminal matter there will be restricted viewing. In these cases, the police will advise you.
Tissue donation
After someone has died it may be possible for their tissues to be donated to help others. Even if they were not a registered donor, the law in England presumes they give consent to donate their tissues. However, family or next of kin will always be consulted before this happens.
Tissues can only be donated in certain circumstances and time frames:
- Eyes for corneal transplantation can be donated up to 24 hours after death.
- Heart valves, bone, skin and other tissues can be donated up to 48 hours after death.
If you choose tissue donation, your loved one will be treated with care and respect, and their appearance will be restored. It won’t delay funeral plans.
A specialist nurse may contact you to explain the options and answer any questions. Tissue donation is completely voluntary. For more information, call NHS Blood and Transplant on 0800 432 0559 and leave your name and number. A nurse will call you back soon.
Registering a death
Once the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death has been issued and emailed to the registrar, you will need an appointment to register the death with the Bristol City Council Register Office.
The whole process will be completed in person at the Register Office at Southmead Hospital or in central Bristol.
Who can register a death?
You can register the death if you are:
- A relative.
- Someone who was there at the death
- An administrator from the hospital.
- The person making arrangements with the funeral directors.
You will need to tell the registrar:
- The person’s full name at the time of death.
- Any names previously used e.g., maiden name.
- The person’s date and place of birth.
- Their last address.
- Their occupation.
- The full name, date of birth and occupation of a surviving or late spouse or civil partner.
- Whether they were receiving a state pension or any other benefits.
Documents you will receive
When you register the death, you will receive the following:
- A legal death certificate. This is a certified copy in the register of deaths. There is an opportunity to purchase additional death certificates, and you will need to consider how many certificates are needed, as banks, private pension companies and insurance companies require certified copies. Each certificate costs £12.50.
- A Certificate for Burial or Cremation (the ‘green form’), which gives permission for burial or an application for cremation.
- A Certificate for the Department of Work and Pensions Benefit (form BD8) – you may need to fill this out and return it if the person was receiving a state pension of benefits.
Once you have registered the death you can inform your chosen funeral director that the death is registered so that arrangements can go ahead.
If the death has been referred to the coroner, you will not be able to register the death until the registrar has received a notification from the Coroner’s Office.
Organisations you need to contact
Tell Us Once
You will need to inform various organisations and government departments about the death. Bristol City Council runs a service called Tell Us Once to help with this. This saves you having to buy extra death certificates for each organisation they contact.
To use it, let the registrar know when you register the death. They’ll explain your options and guide you through the process. You can access the service by phone or online after registration. If you don’t use Tell Us Once, you’ll need to contact each organisation yourself.
You may need to notify the following organisations
Local councils
- Housing Benefit Office
- Council Tax
- Collection of payment for council services
- Libraries
- Electoral Services
- Blue Badges
- Adult Services
- Children’s Services
- Council Housing
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
- Pension, Disability and Carers’ Service.
- Jobcentre Plus
- Overseas Health Team
Revenue and Customs
- Child Benefit
- Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit
- Personal Taxation
Identity and Passport Service
- Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
- Ministry of Defence
- Service Personnel and Veterans Agency
- War Pensions Scheme
People you might need to inform
Please ask a member of staff for a printed copy of this patient leaflet if you would like a checklist to complete.
- Family
- Friends
- Healthcare providers, i.e. optician, dentist, GP
- Bank or building society, credit card providers
- Premium bonds, long term savings companies (ISAs)
- Anyone holding money for the deceased
- Social Services such as home help or care
- Previous/current place of work (occupational pension), trade unions
- Executor of the estate (will)
- Insurance Companies (car, home, life insurance)
- Residential or nursing home
- Landlord or housing agency
- Mortgage company
- Utility companies (water, electric, gas, phone, internet, TV licence, Internet)
- Hire purchase companies
- Post Office (to redirect mail)
- Cancellation of any upcoming payments
- Transport (to day centres or clubs)
- Deliveries (milk, food boxes, newspapers)
- Return of any borrowed equipment (medical or social)
- Religious organisations (faith leaders)
- Stop any junk mail
Further information and bereavement support
The time ahead may be a very difficult one for you. If you have any further questions, a member of the chaplaincy team (0117 414 3700) or your GP would be happy to help.
If you would like to discuss any aspect of your loved one’s care, please contact the ward to arrange an appointment with a member of the medical/nursing team.
Useful websites
How to contact us
Patient Affairs Office
© North Bristol NHS Trust. This edition published October 2025. Review due October 2028. NBT002506