Coronavirus (Covid-19) Lockdown – Bereavement Service Update

Guidance for Registration of Deaths and Funeral Arrangements during Coronavirus Covid-19 Lockdown.

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નીચે આપેલી માહિતી કોરોનાવાઇરસ લોકડાઉન દરમિયાન મૃત્યુ નોંધણી અને ફિયૂનરલ વિધિ ને લગતા ફેરફારો કરવામાં આવ્યા છે તે વિષે છે. તમારા અંગ્રેજી વાંચતા-સમજતા સગાસંબન્ધિ ને વિનંતિ કરો કે તમોને નીચે જણાવેલ વિગતો સમજાવે.

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Registering a death & funeral advice

If you unfortunately suffer bereavement in the coming weeks, then you will need to be aware that there are some new procedures to follow during Coronavirus Lockdown . For your information, we have extracted information from Birmingham City Council Website(link below). (Residents in Solihull, Sandwell, Walsall, Wolverhampton or Dudley will need to check Websites of their respective Councils) For further details of changes (which are updated regularly) to registration and bereavement services, due to COVID-19, visit:

https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/news/article/570/update_to_registration_and_bereavement_services

Please Note : Anybody seeking an urgent registration on religious grounds should speak to their Funeral Director, who will be able to email the Register Office directly and prioritise the request by marking the email ‘Urgent Religious Cremation ’.

Important contact details for the Registration Service

Email: RORegistrations@birmingham.gov.uk

Phone: 0121 303 1399

Registering a death

All medical cause of death certificates must be scanned to the Registry Office by the hospital or doctor. Once they have been sent this, please use their online form to confirm your contact details. You will be contacted by telephone to complete the registration as soon as possible.

When someone dies in Birmingham, you need to make an appointment to register their death at the Birmingham Register Office. There’s no charge for registering a death.

The death must be registered within 5 days of the death occurring, unless it has been referred to the coroner. If this has happened, we need to discuss the next steps with you in more detail. Please complete our coroner referral form to request a call back.

If you are unsure if the death took place in Birmingham you can check which register office covers the area.

You can register the death if you’re:

– a relative of the deceased (the person who died)

– If you are a relative of the deceased you will not be able to register a death if you are self-isolating in line with Government advice.

– If the deceased was exposure to COVID-19 and you have been in contact with them, you should be self-isolating in line with Government advice.

– In these circumstances arrangements must be made for an alternative qualified informant to collect the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death from the hospital or G.P. and attend the Register Office to register the death.

– an alternative qualified informant could be another relative who is not self-isolating

– someone present at the death – an administrator from the hospital

– the person making arrangements with the funeral directors

A maximum of 2 people should attend to register plus an interpreter if required

When you register a death you’ll get:

a Certificate for Burial or Cremation (green form), which gives permission for burial or cremation

a Certificate of Registration of Death (form BD8), which you may need to fill in and return if the deceased was getting a state pension or benefits.

You can buy additional death certificates on the day of registration for £11 each. Payment can be made by card or cash

In line with Government’s requirements for social distancing, attendance at all funerals (burials and cremations) will be limited to 6 people (not including the officiating person or funeral director staff) and consisting of the immediate family only. No person diagnosed as suffering from COVID-19 is permitted to attend a funeral, until they have been confirmed as recovered. Services will be a maximum of 30 minutes and funeral directors will be asked to assist with the rules about social distancing.

With this in mind, we welcome the recording and broadcasting of funerals. These should be undertaken by prior arrangement with the Funeral Director.

Birmingham City Council will ensure that the choice of funeral requested will be adhered to in line with religious beliefs.

There will also be no further bookings taken for the burial of cremated remains or the scattering of ashes. Families and/or Funeral Directors with pre-existing arrangements will be contacted to discuss postponement.

Charges for the retention of cremated remains at the crematoria will not be applied during this period, and if space becomes an issue, then Birmingham City Council will provide alternative storage options.

The changes to the Registration of Deaths are outlined below:

1.The medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD) is completed and signed.

2.GP/Bereavement office scans and emails MCCD to Register Office with informant’s name and contact telephone number.

3.GP/Bereavement office advises informant to complete the online Pre-Registration form.

4.On receipt of MCCD, the Register Office will log all MCCD’s and telephone contact will be made with the informant to register the death.

5.The service will continue to prioritise short notice burials e.g cremations .

6.Once the registration is complete the disposal form will be scanned and emailed directly to the Funeral Director.

7.The original disposal form will be retained at the Register Office until restrictions are lifted and further instructions are issued by the General Register Office.

Please note it is extremely busy dealing with increased number of notifications and with a reduced staffing compliment. We will get to all calls and emails as soon as possible.

Anybody seeking an urgent registration on religious grounds should speak to their Funeral Director, who will be able to email the Register Office directly and prioritise the request by marking the email ‘Urgent Religious Cremation ’.

If any family have difficulties of getting a Priest to perform Final Rites and Funeral Service at the crematorium you can download a booklet and also prerecording of services in what ever language you want – Hindi, Gujarati, English the link is below

http://vhp.org.uk/lastriteservices/