What we do

The Bereavement Care Service Team offers support to the relatives and friends of people who have died in hospital. We wish to offer our sincere sympathy to you, your family and friends in your bereavement.

The end of life and bereavement team is available to offer:

-          Support for the person in the last days and hours of life

-          Support for those who are important to the person

-          Support following sudden and unexpected death

-          Support for anyone who has been or is bereaved

-          Support for staff following a bereavement

-          Enabling choice, dignity and respect by implementing the CARE (Communicate, Ask, Respond, Engage) End of Life and Bereavement model

-          To promote education: care of the dying patient, bereavement care workshop, nurse verification of expected death, tissue donation and care after death and bereavement

The service is available 7 days a week 08:30 – 16:30.

01254 735426 – please leave a voicemail if no one is available to take the call.

Our service can be accessed at the following locations:

Unity House, Royal Blackburn Hospital, Haslingden, Road, Blackburn, BB2 3HH

The service is available 7 days a week 08:30 – 16:30.

Joanne Gaskell - End of Life and Bereavement Clinical Lead Nurse (Service Lead)

Christopher Greaves-Thomas - Bereavement Specialist Nurse

Joanne Carter - End of Life Care Clinical Educator

Lisa Fox - End of Life and Bereavement Practitioner

Jennifer Haslam - End of Life and Bereavement Practitioner

Joanne Heys - End of Life and Bereavement Practitioner

Rachael Duxbury - End of Life and Bereavement Support Practitioner 

Rachel Durkin - End of Life and Bereavement Support Practitioner 

After your loved one dies, they will be cared for by the staff at the hospital just as carefully and respectfully as when they were alive and in accordance with their religious beliefs.

The named next of kin will receive a call from the bereavement admin team in the general office will make contact to let you know that they have received the notes needed for a doctor to complete the medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD). This will usually be within 24 hours except on public holidays and weekends when you will be contacted the next working day.

Once the MCCD has been completed, you will be contacted by the Medical Examiner’s Office who will explain what is on the MCCD. They will ask if you have any concerns or questions about the care that the person who died received.

Appointments are no longer being made for relatives to collect the MCCD, these will now be scanned by the bereavement officers and sent to the Registry Office electronically. They will then contact the next of kin to arrange an appointment to register the death.

If you have any concerns or queries please feel free to contact the End of Life and Bereavement Team on the numbers below.

End of Life and Bereavement team
01254 735426
01254 732825

Spiritual Care Team
01254 733632

Bereavement admin team – Completion of MCCD/Cremation paperwork
01254 734500
01254 732861

Mortuary
01254 732067

Blackburn with Darwen Registrars Office
01254 588660

Lancashire County Council Registration Services
0300 123 6705
(For deaths occurring in Burnley, Clitheroe or Pendle Hospitals)

CRUSE
Lead national charity for bereaved people in the UK.
Lancashire: 01772 433645
National: 0808 808 1677
Website: www.cruse.org.uk


Good Grief Trust
Practical and emotional support and signposting to a choice of local and national support.
www.thegoodgrieftrust.org

 

Samaritans
Tel: 116 123
Website: www.samaritans.org

 

Amparo
Support following suicide.
Tel: 0330 088 9255
Website: amparo.service@listening-ear.co.uk

 

Child Bereavement UK
Supports families and educates professionals when a baby or child dies or is dying, or when a child is facing bereavement.
Tel: 0800 02 888 40
Website: www.childbereavementuk.org