After a death in hospital
Bereavement
Bereavement
If you are looking at this information because your child has died, we are very sorry for your loss.
You should be able to stay with your child as much or as little as feels right for you. Staff will be available, but will give you time alone to grieve as you want, including holding your child, talking to them, and carrying out any rituals which are important to you. You should be able to have relatives and close friends with you, if that’s what you want.
A doctor will usually give you a certificate giving the cause of death and a notice explaining how to register the death with the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages. The hospital will take care of your child until you have arranged to call a funeral director.
You will usually need to register the death within five days in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; and eight days if you live in Scotland at your local Register Office. You may feel this will be too much, so a friend or relative who was there at the death can do this for you.
- The UK Government website explaining everything you need to do to register a death is here.
- You can find the address of your nearest register office on the UK Government website here. You may need to book an appointment.
If you need religious support during this time, most hospitals have a team of chaplains from different faiths. Many also have chapels or spaces for prayer and reflection. If you are in one of the UK’s children’s hospitals, you can find a directory of hospital facilities here.
More Information and Support
More Information and Support
- Child Bereavement UK: helping children, parents and families to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies.
- The Compassionate Friends: supporting bereaved parents and their families.
- Winston’s Wish: supporting children and young people after the death of a parent or sibling.
- The Lullaby Trust raises awareness of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), provides expert advice on safer sleep for babies and offers emotional support for bereaved families.
- Child Bereavement UK: helping children, parents and families to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies.
- The Compassionate Friends: supporting bereaved parents and their families.
- Winston’s Wish: supporting children and young people after the death of a parent or sibling.
- The Lullaby Trust raises awareness of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), provides expert advice on safer sleep for babies and offers emotional support for bereaved families.