Service Overview
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 for any person or family. When someone you care about dies, even if it was expected, it is often hard to take in. You may find that everything seems unreal, you may respond to things in an unusual way - feeling numb, bewildered and lost. There are many decisions and arrangements to make in a short space of time.
The Bereavement Service at Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust offers practical help, advice and support. It is the central point of contact for bereaved relatives in the first few days after the death of a loved one (please note - unfortunately this is not a bereavement counselling service).
What to Expect
When a death occurs on a ward, relatives will be given the Trust booklet entitled ‘What Happens Now - Information for Bereaved Relatives'. This booklet is a guide to what happens next.
We work closely with the Medical Examiner Office. A Medical Examiner Officer will contact the next of kin shortly after death but you can always call the Bereavement Office if you have any urgent inquiries.
We will let you know when the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) is completed and we will support you with how to make an appointment with the registration office.
The MCCD will be sent electronically to the registration office, so you do not need to collect any paperwork from the hospital.
Useful Links & Information
- Advise if a death is referred to the Coroner
- Provide you with information regarding how to register the dealth
- Provide you with a medical certificate of cause of death
- Advise you what to do next
Viewing arrangements
Please call the hospital Mortuary team on the 01322 428428 to book a date and time.
The time ahead may be a very difficult one for you and at Darent Valley Hospital, the Patient Bereavement Services work very closely with the Chaplaincy Team who can provide appropriate spiritual and pastoral care.