The care team or medical professionals should contact the next of kin if they feel that death is imminent, so that family members have a chance to say goodbye. However, there may not always be time to do this if their condition deteriorates rapidly

They should also be able to advise you on what to do after your loved one has passed away. Most hospitals have a specialist bereavement or patient affairs unit, which helps those who have lost a loved one in hospital

If in doubt, please call us anytime and we talk you through what happens:

01279 860055 (night or day)

Specialist staff at a hospital should:

• Deal with the first stages of the paperwork, including contacting a GP and getting a medical certificate

• Advise you on what to do next, including registering a death and choosing a funeral director

• Return your loved one’s belongings, which you will need to sign for, possibly collecting valuables from the cashier’s office

• Provide information about local support services for bereaved people

• At this point, you may also be able to view your loved one if you wish (this is very much a personal decision, so don’t feel obliged to do this). If this is something that you think you may like to do, or need time to decide, please know that you can come to see your loved one at Barringtons in our beautiful chapel of rest

In Scotland, hospitals do not have centralised bereavement services and formalities are dealt with on the ward where the patient died