Case study:

18 November 2010

Guy’s Hospital Bereavement Centre

Key points

A new bereavement centre at Guy’s Hospital in London will enable relatives and carers to deal with many of the arrangements surrounding a patient’s death in one location and in a single visit.

The centre, which is open four hours a day, five days a week and is staffed by a member of the mortuary and bereavement team as well as a registrar of deaths on a part-time basis, offers a private space where people can complete all the necessary paperwork and receive any assistance needed following the death of a relative or friend.

The service will soon be available for deaths in the community and will also be part of the Tell Us Once Programme, a partnership between the trust and Southwark and Lambeth Councils, which allows relatives at a single meeting to register a death, collect property, arrange to view the deceased and receive help over any aspect of the death process.

And by filling in an electronic form all the information about the death can be relayed to up to 11 council and government departments at the same time, cutting out bureaucracy and saving untold stress for the family. Next of kin will also be told about benefits they may be entitled to and provided with an information pack.

The unit also uses an interpreting service, run by Language Line Services, which offers more than 170 languages. A special phone with two handsets links the client, the member of staff and the appropriate interpreter and allows a three-way conversation to take place quickly and efficiently.

The new centre, which was opened in July 2010 and is located on the 12th floor of Guy’s Tower, replaces the previous centre which was housed in a windowless office near the hospital’s post room.

As well as being carefully designed to take account of visitors’ different needs and faiths at a difficult time, the centre has also benefited from a £16,000 grant from Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity for a contemporary wall-based artwork. The Friends of Guy’s Hospital provided a grant of £13,660 for new furniture in the centre.

The wall-based artwork, which features a collection of ceramics and a large centre piece, is intended to enhance the calm environment of the bereavement centre. Designed by artist Marta Marcé, it is based on the theme of ‘transformation’ and depicts the flowing sensation of life moving on.

Guy’s & St Thomas’ Mortuary & Bereavement Service has a triple role in serving the hospital and community, by caring for the deceased patient, by delivering bereavement support to the deceased patient’s family and by providing high-quality diagnostic services.