Raigmore Hospital launches bereavement service
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A NEW bereavement service has been launched at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness to provide practical help for people who have lost loved ones.
All bereaved relatives will now have a single point of contact with a bereavement officer to ensure assistance is available with the legal processes following a death, including sensitive issues such as post mortem examination.
Iona McGauran, Interim Lead Nurse for Raigmore Hospital, said that losing a loved one was hard enough without having the additional worry of what to do next and who to contact.
She said: "The service will provide support to friends and relatives of deceased patients and provide advice and information on practical issues such as registering a death or arranging a funeral.
"As the single point of contact the bereavement officer will also liaise very closely with the ward, funeral directors and the mortuary. While this is not a bereavement counselling service they will, however, be able to provide information on services that do."
The service will also ensure belongings are handed back to relatives, that relative statutory forms including death certificates and hospital post mortems forms are complete and dealt with and provide booklets and other information resources as and when required.
Claire McCall, who has worked as an administrator with the Raigmore Hospital management team since 2007, took up the role on December 1.
She said: "Everyone in NHS Highland wants to provide the best possible care for our patients and that care should be extended to their relatives when they pass away.
"I will do what I can to make what is a very difficult time for relatives go as smoothly as possible and answer any questions they may have."
