Tag: bereavement

National Grief Awareness Week – 78% of us have NEVER spoken to a GP about bereavement

At the start of National Grief Awareness Week, Cruse Bereavement Support and the Royal College of GPs are announcing an exciting new partnership to strengthen bereavement support and understanding of grief for people across the UK.

In an important step for UK healthcare, the partnership aims to highlight just how impactful grief can be on a person’s physical and mental health.

New research released today by Cruse, shows that over three-quarters of adults in Britain (78%) have never spoken to a GP about a bereavement*.

With this staggering figure in mind, Cruse and the RCGP are making clear to people who may need additional support after experiencing a bereavement, whether recent or in the past, that they can connect with their GP practice team.

This will give GP teams the opportunity to identify people who may need additional support from bereavement services as well as offering information and advice on support available.

With support from a grant of more than £574,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund the largest funder of community activity in the UK, this campaign will supply GPs nationwide with a toolkit supporting them to provide consistent and compassionate support for grieving patients.

The toolkit also provides information and products for patients and healthcare staff – including an animation on the new partnership, a patient poster for all GP surgeries on bereavement and grief and a VBA (very brief advice) card for practice staff.

Sadly, nearly everyone will be affected by bereavement at some point in their life and it is vital that the right support is available and known for people who need it.

This exciting initiative delivered by Cruse Bereavement Support in partnership with The RCGP, is a big step toward ensuring healthcare groups and bereavement support charities are working in partnership to provide the best bereavement support for grieving people.

Steven Wibberley, Chief Executive of Cruse Bereavement Support comments: “Understanding grief and how it can affect your health is the first step towards getting the support you need – and GPs and practice teams can play a really important role in helping grieving people with this.

“That’s why we are so pleased to be collaborating with the RCGP in this important campaign to bridge the gap between healthcare and bereavement support. It’s our hope that this partnership will also ensure all grieving people, especially those who may feel alone and unsure of where to get help, are able to access the right support when they so desperately need it.”

Dr Catherine Millington-Sanders, Clinical Lead for Palliative and End of Life Care for the Royal College of General Practitioners comments: “After a bereavement, it’s natural to want and ask for support. Many people find support from their friends, family or community networks but others may be really struggling with their grief and find more formal support helpful.

“GP practices are a valued and important source of information, support and advice in our communities. This work between the RCGP and Cruse aims to equip GP practice teams with the tools to help identify people with bereavement needs and accessible information to sign-post people to appropriate bereavement support, ensuring the bereaved person is at the centre of every step.”

Barnardo’s resources to help teachers talk to pupils about grief

At the start of Children’s Grief Awareness Week, Barnardo’s is releasing resources for teachers to help children cope with bereavement. 

Before Covid-19, official stats showed one in 29 five-16 year olds had been bereaved of a parent or sibling – that’s at least one child in every average class. 

With more than 165,000 deaths from Covid-19 in the UK (deaths with Covid-19 on the death certificate), Barnardo’s says many more children and young people will be experiencing bereavement. 

Black people and men of Pakistani and Bangladeshi heritage are almost twice as likely to die from Covid-19 as White people, meaning children from these communities are more likely to experience loss. 

The free resources about grief are available on the Barnardo’s Education Community (BEC) website (https://www.educators-barnardos.org.uk/). 

They include an introductory worksheet which explores what grief is and a volcano-making activity that focuses on how grief impacts us. 

They also include some suggestions and advice about how to cope and who children can talk to when going back to school after someone special has died. 

Also in the resources are some coping techniques teachers can tell children about to use when times are difficult, exercises to help ground children and regulate their breathing. 

The resources will also be posted throughout Children’s Grief Awareness Week (November 18 to 24) on the Barnardo’s Education Community Twitter page (@BarnardosEduCom). 

Barnardo’s Interim Co-CEO Michelle Lee-Izu said: “Sadly the raw feelings of grief and loss will be familiar to thousands of children and families across the UK, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

“Children have suffered a huge amount of loss in the last year. For most this has meant missing out on school and playing with their friends, but for too many children it has meant the loss of parents, grandparents and members of their family or community. 

“I hope that teachers who are discussing the issue of grief with their pupils during Children’s Grief Awareness Week will find our tips and resources useful – and that they will be used to assist schools and colleges to support children who are struggling in the future.” 

Firewalk with Held In Our Hearts

Local charity, Held In Our Hearts, will again be hosting their popular FireWalk event on 4th December at Edinburgh Leisure’s Craiglockhart Tennis Centre.

The FireWalk will be a chance for locals to take part in a once in a lifetime challenge, daring to be different, and walking over hot coals to raise much-needed funds for the charity’s work supporting parents whose babies have tragically died.

Tracy Watt, Held In Our Hearts Fundraising Manager, said: “We know the journey that the parents we support is daunting and often it is the fear of the unknown that can be very frightening for them; by taking on this challenge, we want to stand in solidarity with bereaved parents across the city and beyond, to walk together with them.

“We hope that this event will appeal to many of the families that we support, as well as many of our supporters, who want to dare to be different and experience such a unique event, while raising much needed funds for our baby loss counselling and support.”

Rupert Seggins, who took part in the FireWalk last time for the charity said: “This is truly an experience like no other – bare feet, burning coals and incredible support from a team that have put hundreds of people through their paces.

“I had such a great time overcoming my nerves and stepping out to do something I didn’t think was possible for me. And all to help the wonderful Held in Our Hearts! What’s not to love?”

Held In Our Hearts FireWalk will be run by UK Firewalk, one of the UK’s leading experts who specialise in corporate and charity firewalking and glass walking events.

The UK FireWalk team will ensure the safety of every participant and viewer involved through the presence of official safety experts.

When Someone Dies …

Metro Bank’s Bereavement Team Offers a Practical Guide to Bereavement Administration

When someone dies there is a lot of official paperwork that needs to be completed – some even comes with deadlines and fines if not processed properly and timely. As the UK’s community bank, Metro Bank has a specialist bereavement team to support anyone processing the administration at every stage through the bereavement process.

The team has created a practical guide to help everyone to understand what they need to do when dealing with the key stages of administration that surrounds a death.

“Losing someone is hard enough, without having to deal with all the official paperwork that has to be completed,” explains Dave Craggs, director of customer support, Metro Bank. “Our bereavement team has the empathy and expertise to guide and support at these difficult moments and this practical guide explains the key steps in the process that need to be taken.”

1.    The medical certificate of cause of death.

When someone dies, a doctor needs to issue a medical certificate for the cause of death. This is the first stage of managing the paperwork needed to process every aspect of bereavement administration.

The certificate needs to include the name, age, place and cause of death about the deceased.  If the cause of death is clear, this certificate can be issued straightaway, otherwise you can expect a delay until further investigations have been carried out. Once any investigations have been completed, a Coroners Certificate of fact of death will be issued and the death can then be registered.

2.    Registering the death

Every death has to be legally registered. If you’re in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, you will have five days to register a death.  In Scotland you have up to eight days.

You will need to make an appointment at the register office near to the place of death and bring the medical certificate of cause of death with some identification proof such as the deceased’s passport, driving licence or birth certificate to the appointment.  Once you have registered the death the registrar will issue you with the Death Certificate.

Full details can be found on the government website and the registrar will also explain about this government web page that enables you to tell the government about the death, so all of its agencies are simultaneously informed at once including- for example – state pension, disability benefits and council services.

3.    The Will & The Estate

If the deceased has a Will the named executor/s will deal with the estate. They will need to obtain a Grant of Probation by completing a probate form which can be found online here.as well as an inheritance tax form or by calling 0300 123 1072.

If there is no Will, a relative will be appointed as an administrator to deal with the estate. They will need to obtain Letters of Administration.

The deceased person’s property and belongings are called the estate.

Part of managing the estate includes the disposal of assets, payment of outstanding bills and debts as well as advising all the relevant organisations such as telecoms, social media, energy, financial services including insurance and banking for which there may be direct debits and standing orders as well as money and investments.

4.    The Bank

The deceased’s bank will play an integral part in the bereavement administration and each bank’s processes may vary slightly. If the deceased banked with Metro Bank, you can inform us in person by visiting your local Metro Bank store, by phone, or via post and ask for the support of the bereavement team. 

The bereavement team will take you through the process step by step.  You will need to supply them with some documentation including the original death certificate, or an interim death certificate plus proof of your identification (i.e. passport, driving licence etc.) as well as the original Will.

If there isn’t a Will the bereavement team can still help you with collecting a person’s estate, in line with Government guidelines.

Once the bereavement team has all the necessary documents, they can help organise any money, property and possessions held with us. We will then guide you through what happens with each type of account – be it current, savings, joint, loans, investment or credit cards and how any funeral invoices and inheritance tax can be paid and settled.

You’ll need to either visit us in store, email the Bereavement Team – bereavement.services@metrobank.plc.uk or via post to make these final arrangements and complete the necessary forms. We can also help with paying for the funeral – for example if there are sufficient funds belonging to the deceased in an account held with us, we can pay funeral costs directly to the funeral director. All we need is a final invoice. 

Alternatively, we can reimburse the funeral costs you have already covered. All you need to do is send us a proof of the payment and the person who made it, along with the final funeral invoice.

5.    Useful Links

Dave Craggs: “A person’s life is full of meaningful activity and interactions – each of which has to be closed off properly when they die.  Managing this entire process can take months and be complex depending on the volume of their personal contacts, possessions, property, money and investments, but help is at hand.”

There are many organisations that can help with this process including:

Metro Bank – Bereavement Team

UK Government – what to do when someone dies

Pension Tracing Service

HMRC

Citizen’s Advice

Bereavement Advice Centre

Demystifying Death Week

Demystifying Death Week, 10 – 16 May, is about giving people knowledge, skills & opportunities to plan & support each other through death, dying, loss & care.

@StColumbas will be taking part in the Week’s activities.

St Columba’s Hospice Care is pleased to be supporting Demystifying Death Week (10-16 May), shining a light on death, dying and bereavement in Scotland.

Demystifying Death Week is about giving people knowledge, skills and opportunities to plan and support each other through death, dying, loss and care. Here in Scotland, the Week is organised by Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief as part of the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care (SPPC) and it runs in parallel to Dying Matters week in England.

“If people know a bit more about death and dying, they’re in a better position to take control of their own situation, support others, make plans and have informed decisions about what they’d want when the time comes,” said Rebecca Patterson, Director of Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief.

At St Columba’s, our Supportive Care and Compassionate Communities teams and wider Hospice community will be engaging with Demystifying Death Week through supporting and taking part in the programme of activities. We wanted to share these with you in case you would like to sign up for any of the events too.

Here are some of the workshops and webinars available:

Unexpected Consequences: A Webinar on Bereavement: Tuesday 11 May, 13:30 to 15:15

Topics:

  • People dying at home during Covid (Dr Jan Savinc, Napier University)
  • How disenfranchised grief has been affected by Covid-19 (Paul Parsons, Adult Bereavement Coordinator for St Christopher’s Hospice)
  • Digital Accessibility and the impact on grief (Donna Hastings, Child and Families Worker for St Columba’s Hospice Care, Edinburgh)

Find out more

Loss & the Creative Arts: Music, Poetry & other Arts as Expression of Grief: Thursday 13 May 2021, 13:00 to 15:00

This is an event for Dying Matters Week, chaired by Professor Lynne Gabriel and Dr John Wilson of York St John University Counselling and Mental Health Centre, who will introduce the work of (in alphabetical order):

  • Laura Fitton, Nursing sister and published poet who works with Covid19 on the NHS front line
  • Kev Fitzpatrick, singer songwriter,
  • Sioux Hill, bereaved by Covid, singer with the Alone Together Choir
  • Mick Jenkinson. singer songwriter and published poet
  • Liam Meyer NHS worker and founder of the Alone Together Choir, as seen on BBC News
  • Sarah Villeneau, ceramicist whose work is both beautiful and macabre

The event will be of interest to those who are grieving and anyone who works with death, dying, bereavement and grief, including counsellors, bereavement supporters and volunteers who are interested in working more creatively. The event will include a question and answer session.

Find out more

You may also be interested in accesssing a series of free webinars offered by Child Bereavement UK for professionals working with children and young people in Scotland:

Access free webinars

Find out more about Demystifying Death Week via the Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief website here:

Access information

Please find more info on our website: https://stcolumbashospice.org.uk/news/

Kiltwalk gives family the chance to say thanks to local charity who helped them

Held In Our Heart’s participation in 2021’s Kiltwalk event signals a step towards normality for the people of Scotland. The Kiltwalk fundraising platform has been designed to turbocharge fundraising, and is often used by supporters of charities to support their cause, or to thank them for their services that they themselves have used.

Whilst this year’s Kiltwalk event is virtual in nature, the role in which this Kiltwalk plays in constructing community bonds, spirit, and the development of connections, compassion, and friendship is critical to the operations of Held In Our Heart, and for the bereaved families who use its services.

One such example of this, is the story of Ian and Brenda who got involved with Held In Our Hearts in 2019 after tragically losing their baby boy Fraser at one month old from sepsis.

They said: “Fraser was born 11th August 2019 just before 32 weeks weighing 3lb 1oz. He spent 4 weeks in the Neonatal Unit and came on so amazingly that we welcomed him home on 4th September.

“A few days later he didn’t seem right…I phoned NHS 24 and was given an appointment to take him to outpatients. After a couple of hours we were given the devastating news that Fraser had sepsis and was unlikely to make it through.

“We spent the next few days spending time with Fraser, family and friends visiting him and making memories with help from the Neonatal unit and CHAS.

“On 11th September doctors did a brain scan and told us it was time to take away the machines, our Fraser was gone. We held him as he peacefully slipped away.

“When we were put in touch with Held in our Hearts they were amazing. So welcoming and understanding. As a family we want to do something to give back for all the support they have given us even despite the restrictions that lockdown imposed and that is why this year we are doing the Kiltwalk in Fraser’s name to help raise funds so they can continue to provide support for all bereaved families.”

Held In Our Heart fundraising manager, Tracy Watt, said: “The Virtual Kiltwalk is a chance for us as a community to engage and connect with others, and although we are not able to walk together physically we can focus on 23-25th April in the knowledge that we are not alone.

“The Kiltwalk is an event that is for all ages and abilities and not just for walking, you can swim or cycle too.

“What sets this weekend apart from all other kilwalk events is that you can choose your own challenge and make it a weekend of being together in spirit and all sharing the same goal in support of our bereaved families.”

Held In Our Hearts are continuing efforts to provide baby loss counselling and support to families, and have seen a successful adaptation to the shifted landscape of support services directly linked to the current pandemic and various restrictions, and regulations.

The 2021 Kiltwalk event holds a particularly special place in the hearts and minds of everyone at the charity. The Kiltwalk event is a clear way to connect further with the bereaved families who use, and have used, Held In Our Hearts services – much in the same way the Kiltwalk event provides these families with the ability to express their gratitude to the kindness and compassion given to them in their journey of grief.