Whether the death was expected or not, your loved one passing away in hospital can be a stressful experience. Whilst the doctors and nurses are there to answer any of your questions, it’s best to be prepared with the knowledge of knowing what to do next. Here is a guide to give you just that.
First steps after a loved one passes away.
Know that you can spend as little or as much time at the hospital as you wish. There is no need to rush or make a decision immediately. Your loved one will be taken care of by hospital staff until a decision about a funeral director has been made. Even then, you will need to give permission for the body to be transferred.
Saying goodbye in hospital.
Viewing your loved one after they have died is a very individual and personal decision. If you or your family would like to arrange this, please speak to the hospital staff. If arranging for a cremation with Bare, please note this may be the final chance to view your loved one.
Contacting Bare.
When you or the nursing staff contact us, we will ask you the following questions which will assist us in organising the service:
- Your name
- Phone number
- Email address
- Relationship to the deceased
- Deceased’s full name
- Date of birth
- Date of death
- Which Hospital
- Estimate of weight
Body transferred to the mortuary.
Your loved one’s body will be transferred to the hospital mortuary. Most hospitals take 24-48 hours to do their paperwork, so transfer is not required straight away. Therefore, take your time to process the death and contact us during business hours.
The exception to this rule is if the hospital is a small private hospital or palliative care unit with no mortuary. In these circumstances, contact us and we will organise the transfer straight away. If the nursing staff are willing to make that call on your behalf give them our number for them to call us.
Special items to stay with the body.
Is there anything that needs to come with the body? For example, any special items, photos, letters etc. If so, please bring these in and instruct the nursing staff they are to go when we transfer.
Following this, if your loved one is wearing any jewellery or other special items, it needs to be removed prior to them being collected, so it does not also get cremated.
Bare picking up your loved one.
If immediate pickup is not required, you can call us during business hours and let us know that you would like to use our service. The next step will require you to complete some online paperwork before we transfer.
Completing paperwork.
You will receive a link via email which will take you to the online forms. You can complete these on a computer, tablet or smartphone, however it is easier with a computer or tablet.
Once you submit the forms, they are received by us. One of the forms will be an Authority to Transfer, which we need from you to take to the hospital, so it is vital you complete the online forms in a timely manner. The balance of the forms are required for cremation and registration of death with Births, Deaths & Marriages.
Once the forms are submitted, we will contact the hospital and confirm that all their paperwork is completed. We will then transfer your person to our mortuary, where they will stay until cremation is booked.
Additional hospital services - Pastoral care support.
Pastoral care staff are available across most hospitals, and are there to offer emotional and spiritual support during times of change and challenge that is sensitive to, and respectful of, each person's individual needs.
At Bare, let us help shoulder the burden of your loved one's passing. If you're in need of a cremation, please give us a call on 1800 071 176 or head here to learn more.
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