WHAT TO DO WHEN SOMEONE DIES

A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO:Bereavement Support & Funeral Planning

FUNERAL SERVICE TYPES:

CremationSuff olk has several crematoria, Ipswich, Seven Hills and West Suff olk. Cremation is now the most popular form of funeral. With families often choosing to keep, scatter or bury ashes with a small service afterward. Services can be personalised with big screens showing slideshows of a person’s life as well as many other small details. Th e cremation service can be religious or non-religious, or you may choose to have no service at all.

BurialTh e oldest and most traditional form of funeral in the UK, Suff olk has many cemeteries as well as church graveyards. Burial off ers a lasting memorial and place to go and visit, tend and remember.

Woodland BurialWoodland Burials are a refl ection of being part of nature. Instead of a headstone a tree is usually planted over the grave. Th ese are normally informal and family orientated services.

RepatriationHyde-Chambers Funeral service have bought/taken people home from all over the world. In our modern time, families and people move all over the planet, yet in death many wish to travel “Home”. Th is can seem a confusing and daunting process. We have the knowledge and experience with airlines and embassies to make this as easy as possible for you.

Long distanceAgain a refl ection of modern times and family’s movement, a family may have a burial plot many miles away. Or a crematorium they have used before. Hyde-Chambers are used to such requests and frequently travel the country on long distance funerals.

Religious & Non-ReligiousWe pride ourselves on being able to provide a great knowledge and understanding of both religious beliefs and non-religious beliefs, we work with all of Suff olk’s pastors, vicars and priests and are experienced in what diff erent religious beliefs require from us. We have a very good network of the fi nest non-religious ministers and celebrants who can tailor a funeral service to suit and refl ect the life of an individual.

Our Funeral home serving Bury St-Edmunds & District:

5B Kings Road, Bury St-Edmunds, IP33 3DJ

01284 769 200We can talk to you on the phone, at our branch

or in your home and you are under no obligation.

Th e Hyde-Chambers family

Funeral Arrangements • Chapels of RestCremation • Burial • Simple

Woodland Burial • Repatriation

Aff ordable excellence in funeral care

01284 769 20024 hours, 7 days a week

Su� olk’s award-winning Funeral Directors

Email us: bury@rhcfunerals.co.ukVisit us at: www.rhcfunerals.co.uk

• Family Owned & Family Run •

Bereavement Support & Funeral Planning Specialists 01284 769 200 (24hr) | www.rhcfunerals.co.uk

WHAT TO DO WHEN DEATH OCCURS AT HOME

Whether or not a death is expected a qualified doctor (G.P. or Duty Doctor) should, on every occasion, be contacted to attend and confirm the death. Once a doctor has arrived and indicated that in due course the “Cause of Death” medical certificate will be able to be issued, then we can remove the deceased to our chapel of rest.

AT A NURSING OR RESIDENTIAL HOME

Even though professional nursing staff are in attendance at the home, a qualified doctor should again be required to confirm the death before the deceased may be removed.

AT HOSPITAL

The Hospital staff will guide you through what needs to be done. Hospitals have their own registration and certificates to talk through with you before you register with your local authority.

H.M. CORONERS INVOLVEMENT

When a death is unexpected and the cause of death is unclear, or when the death is of a suspicious nature, an accident or industrial disease, the doctor certifying the death is legally bound to report these circumstances to the Coroner. The Coroner’s involvement in most cases, is a formality with an examination taking place to ascertain the cause of death.

WHO CAN REGISTER A DEATH

• Any relative of the deceased• A person present at death• The owner or person in charge of the home or nursing home where

the death occurred• The person arranging the funeral (not the Funeral Director)

The procedure for registering a death is a simple interview with the Registrar who will require the following information:

• Date and place of birth and death• Full name of the deceased (including maiden name, if appropriate)• Home address of the deceased• The marital status of the deceased• The occupation of the deceased• If a married woman the husband’s full name and occupation

WHAT TO DO WHEN SOMEONE DIES

When a death occurs, whether expected or not, there is an inevitable feeling of sadness and loss experienced by the close family, often resulting in shock and emotional stress. Certain practical steps, however, need to be taken at an early stage – including registering of the death.

WHAT DOES THE FUNERAL DIRECTOR DO?

As well as caring for the deceased, once instructed, we will take the deceased into our care and make all the necessary arrangements for the funeral to take place. We can offer advice and guidance and will complete all the documentation needed. We will also liaise with the external authorities such as Doctors, Ministers and local authorities on your behalf. One of the first questions we will need to ask you will be whether the service is to be a burial or cremation. If the deceased has left no firm instructions we will be able to advise you as to the options available and the costs involved.

We will also arrange transport, a suitable coffin and any other services you choose or require as well as ensuring all the legal aspects have been satisfied in order for the funeral to take place.

DO I NEED A RELIGIOUS SERVICE?

It is important that the type of service you choose reflects the life of the person to be commemorated. If the person regularly attended a place of worship, such as a local church, the choice of service and minister to take the service will be fairly obvious. If however the person did not regularly attend a place of worship, the choice of service can seem a little more complicated. Your funeral arranger will be able to give you advice and guidance as to the types of Minister (Both religious and non-religious) which are available locally to take funeral services.

It is also important that you and your family have the opportunity to “personalise” the service to reflect and celebrate the life of the person to be commemorated. The inclusion of favourite music, readings, sayings and poems are just some of the ways this can be achieved.

HOW LONG BEFORE THE FUNERAL CAN TAKE PLACE?

In most instances, it will take around 7 days from your initial contact with us for all the necessary documentation and administrative procedures to be completed. If there is a cultural or other urgent need for the funeral to take place sooner we will always try to accommodate this. In other cases they’re may be a need to delay the funeral service (if someone is travelling from abroad) until a suitable date.

Again we will always do our best to accommodate your needs.

WHY CHOOSE AN INDEPENDENT FAMILY FUNERAL DIRECTOR?

Single minded devotion:All our attention is concentrated on satisfying the needs of our friends and neighbours. We are not distracted or bound by corporate rules handed down from head office and shareholders. We are flexible and responsive to your needs.

Personal pride:This is our business. Our neighbourhood is your neighbourhood. We take great pride in our funeral home and our vehicles. We are also proud of our family and staff for whom we maintain a regular training programme to make sure of the highest levels of professional service.

Devoted to families, not profits:We answer to you. In our locally owned firm there is no pressure from a head office to increase profits. We know our business will do well when we serve you well.

We are continually conscious of the costs involved in funerals today and for some people we realise the charges may be hard to find. We pride ourselves on keeping our costs reasonable, being understanding of each situation. However much we may help a family financially, we will always insure our high service remains the same.

Costs vary considerably today from one funeral director to another and it is our understanding that by using our company some families could expect to pay considerably less.

FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS: FUNERAL DIRECTORS

Hyde-Chambers Funeral Service - Kings Road 01284 769 200

West Suffolk Hospital 01284 713 000

West Suffolk Hospital Patient Affairs 01284 713 410

Suffolk Registrars Office 0345 607 2050

Suffolk Coroners Office 01473 613 888 ext 3159

Cruse Bereavement Support 01473 230 888

Macmillan Support 0808 808 0000

Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide 0300 111 5065

USEFUL LOCAL TELEPHONE NUMBERS RELATING TO THE END OF LIFE AND DEALING WITH GRIEF