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Bereavement support

What we do

We provide practical and emotional support to families and those close to patients who have died in our hospitals. Read our Bereavement support patient information leaflet below to find out more about the support we offer.

Coronavirus update

To help reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) we have made changes to our services. We have moved all of our support to phone or email, and will not be offering face-to-face appointments until further notice.

We are now able to support you to visit your loved one in our mortuary visiting room, by appointment only. Please contact the mortuary team on 020 3299 3504 and the staff there will be pleased to arrange a time for you to do this. Alternatively, you may prefer to wait until your relative is in the care of your funeral director who may be able to arrange for you to visit in their place of rest.

Please note that if the certificate for cause of death has not been written yet, or there is outstanding coroner’s involvement, then the visit will take place behind glass until the paperwork is complete.

We appreciate the anxiety and concern you are experiencing and will do our best to help you through this difficult time.

How we can help

Please contact us if you would like our advice or support following the death of your loved one. We can talk you through the procedures following a death and the help and support available to you. Contact us by calling 020 3299 3426 (with voicemail) or email [email protected].

We can help you with:

  • getting the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. This is the document written by the doctor with the believed cause of death.
  • how to register a death with Lambeth Register Office.
  • Some deaths will need to be referred to the coroner and we can explain why this may be necessary and what this means.
  • how to arrange a funeral and what to consider when choosing a funeral director.

Opening times

8.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday. We are closed on weekends and bank (public) holidays.

Other useful contacts

Cruse Bereavement Care
National, free support service to the bereaved.

The Samaritans
Available by telephone 24 hours a day. Call 116 123.

The Compassionate Friends
Provide support for all family members after a death of a child of any age.

Winston’s Wish
Charity for bereaved children.

Good Grief
Support after a bereavement.

Age UK
Offers advice and support to older people.

Location

For further information please contact the Main Reception.

Contact Details

Patient information leaflets

TitleFile SizeLink
Bereavement support – Information for families and friends at King’s College Hospital4 MB
Chaplaincy Service at King’s1 MB
Checklist for bereaved families1 MB

We provide practical and emotional support to families and those close to patients who have died in our hospitals. We can also help with queries from organisations involved in registering the death of patients who have died at our hospitals.

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