March 19, 2012 in News by Colette Byrne

E-petition to change Bereavement Leave from 3 days to 12 weeks

An e-petition is currently running at epetitions.direct.gov.uk to change the current work bereavement leave from three days to twelve weeks. The petition was created by Lucy Herd who tragically lost her 23 month old son twelve months ago.

Lucy said “It was at that time I realised we are only entitled to 3 days off work and one of those days has to be the funeral. You are entitled to sick leave or you can take holiday entitlement from your employer but you shouldn’t have to use sick or holiday leave, what if you became sick.”

She goes on to say, “My vision for the future is that you will have the ability to take up to 12 weeks off paid leave Using the bereavement leave entitlement and be able to return to your job. As a nation we don’t talk about death and we should be able to as for me it is a great healing process and this change I feel would help us as a nation as does maternity leave and paternity leave now.”

She hopes if enough people sign the petition it will help her to, “…bring this to our governments attention and hopefully in the future change will happen…”

If you would like to sign the petition it can be found here: Change the Bereavement Leave from 3 days to up to 12 weeks

February 22, 2012 in News by Colette Byrne

Thames Hospicecare Parachute Jump

Thames Hospicecare are celebrating their 25th Anniversary this year 2012 and are looking for 25 brave people to parachute jump on the 25th March.

Rise to to sky and help raise much needed funds for Thames Hospicecare! They are calling people from all over the country to make a sponsored 10,000 feet freefall parachute jump on their behalf and in return Thames Hospicecare is willing to pay for it.

A minimum sponsorship of £395 will entitle you to jump for free and a minimum of £145 comes directly to the Thames Hospacecare. To find out more and how to get involved, go to their website: www.thameshospicecare.org.uk or if you would like to receive more information contact Michelle Bowdidge on:01753 848963 or email michelle.bowdidge@thameshospicecare.org.uk

February 12, 2012 in Blog, News by Colette Byrne

Hertfordshire free support from Cruse Bereavement Care

The Hertfordshire branch of Cruse Bereavement Care offers a confidential and free bereavement support service. Volunteers talk to bereaved people in their own homes and listen to their unique stories with emotional and psychological support – sometimes with a little practical help – enabling them to regain some control over their lives.

Cruse Bereavement Care is the leading charity specialising in bereavement within the UK.  Each year over 100,000 people contact the organisation for help and information.  With many branches spread around the country they will help anyone who wants to talk about themselves or someone they know who has been affected by a death.

Hertfordshire branch of Cruse Bereavement Care says, ”The death of someone we love is likely to be the most distressing experience we will ever face.  When someone dies, a relationship is lost, a process of change begins and we move towards a new and largely unknown situation.

“Grieving is hard work; and we may frequently feel exhausted, or have health problems of various kinds.  But grief is not an illness.  It is a natural human experience from which we can emerge to face a new and very different reality.

“Each person’s grieving is unique.

“Our service is offered to everyone whatever their culture, race, religion or sexual orientation.  We aim to provide an accessible, individualised service supporting bereaved people in their own homes or within the local community.  Cruse support is provided whenever it is needed, in the immediate aftermath of a death or months or even years later.”

Contact Details:

Adult helpline: 01707 278 389

Children and Young People’s helpline: 01707 264 293

Cruse Bereavement Care Hertfordshire
The Old Court House
St Albans Road East
Hatfield
Hertfordshire
AL10 0ES

Tel: 01707 269 497

Source: Cruse Bereavement Care Hertfordshire

February 12, 2012 in Blog, News by Colette Byrne

James Cook University Hospital opens service for bereaved families

January of this year the James Cook University Hospital opened a new service for bereaved families. The new dedicated service at the hospital means that instead of having to make a painful journey back onto the ward to collect medical certificates and then attend an appointment at Middlesbrough register office, families will book one appointment with a small team who will handle the entire process.

Lead nurse for end of life care and bereavement Elizabeth Price said prior to the opening of the new service : “Currently when someone dies in hospital, the family has to phone the ward the next day to see if a medical certificate of death is ready to pick up. Unfortunately there are often delays with this when staff have to find the doctor to sign the certificate and the family can be kept waiting.

“They then have to come back onto the ward where their relative has died to collect the certificate and often see unfamiliar staff because the shift has changed – it’s not a nice experience.

“We’ve been looking at having a centralised bereavement system for some time as we want to make the whole process as smooth and easy as possible for families.”

Under the new service, when someone dies on a ward, staff will hand the family a bereavement booklet explaining that someone from the service will telephone them the
next working day and an appointment is then booked. The team also acts as a signposting service for relatives and the rest of the trust and will liaise with the coroner’s office, if necessary, and funeral directors.

Councillor Julia Rostron, Middlesbrough Council’s Executive Member for Community Protection, said: “We have supported this initiative since the hospital first suggested it and have worked closely with Elizabeth Price to develop the service.

“Having a registrar on site is a wonderful service for bereaved relatives. The James Cook University Hospital takes patients from a wide area and often relatives have a distance to travel to find the hospital. The bereavement service removes the need for an additional journey to the register office.”

“How we care for the relatives who have lost a loved one is an indicator of how we care for all sick and vulnerable people and by offering one point of contact for people we can hopefully ease some of that burden for families during what is a really distressing time in their lives.”

Source: South Tees Hospitals

February 9, 2012 in News by Colette Byrne

Reinsurer RGA expresses concern about unclaimed bereavement benefits

The life assurance industry has made great strides in recent years in speeding up the death claims process, and introducing procedures that allow policy proceeds to be released to the correct beneficiary as swiftly as possible.

Many individuals claiming under a life assurance policy may also be entitled to Bereavement benefits available from the State that could potentially ease some of the financial strain in the early days following bereavement, and beyond. RGA reflect that many customers experience a period of financial hardship whilst life assurance claims are being processed, and the financial consequences of the death of a spouse or partner can persist even once the policy proceeds have been paid.

However, the existence of these benefits is not necessarily common knowledge across financial advisers, insurance companies and the general public. As a result we are seeking to draw attention to the benefits as well as the current DWP consultation document regarding „Bereavement Benefit for the 21st century‟ which closes on 5 March 2012.

Simon Grant, UK Claims Manager for RGA, said: “We are concerned that these benefits are often overlooked by both consumers and advisers. If your husband, wife or civil partner has died you may be able to get Bereavement Payment, a one-off, lump-sum payment of £2,000 that’s tax-free. There are certain age limits and eligibility criteria, but these benefits are not means tested and the State claim to be able to make payments promptly to those who are entitled.”

IFA Peter Chadborn of Plan Money in Colchester, said: “It is quite possible that only those who have personal experience or have assisted clients specifically in this area are aware of the benefits available. However, with a £2,000 lump sum plus an income potentially available, everyone who loses a spouse should check if they qualify.”

Matt Rann, Head of Underwriting and Claims for AEGON UK, an RGA client, added: “We are keen to ensure our customers receive all the help they need at such difficult times. We will shortly be issuing a guide with all new death claims, helping our policyholders understand the financial support that is out there for them from the State and how to go about claiming it.”

Simon Grant added: “We intend to carry out further research in the near future and will report the results accordingly. In the meantime we encourage financial advisers to check the information available online from the DWP and respond accordingly to the consultation
document.”

Bereavement benefits provide financial assistance for people after the loss of a spouse or civil partner, and comprise:

• Bereavement Payment: a tax free lump sum payment of £2,000 Recipients must be under State Pension Age, and the deceased spouse/partner must have made National Insurance contributions, and  was not entitled to a Category A state retirement benefit when they died
• Bereavement Allowance: a taxable weekly benefit of up to £100.70 per week paid for up to 52 weeks from the date of death. Recipients must be over age 45 but under State Pension Age, with no dependent children, and the deceased spouse/partner must have made National Insurance contributions or died as a result of their job
• Widowed Parents Allowance: a weekly benefit of up to £100.70 a week
Recipients must be bringing up a child or children under age 19, under State Pension Age, and the deceased spouse/partner must have made National Insurance contributions or died as a result of their job
• Funeral payment: a payment of up to £700 Recipients eligibility will be subject to means testing, and will depend on the relationship with the person who died

For full details and eligibility criteria see: www.direct.gov.uk/
DWP Consultation: Bereavement Benefit for the 21st Century
Freud: bereavement benefits must support claimants after loss and offer a supported return to work

February 9, 2012 in News by Colette Byrne

Children’s Hospice Richard House, achieves prestigious healthcare accreditation

Richard House is celebrating today after receiving national accreditation for its services.

The hospice has been awarded the ‘CHKS Standard for Hospice Services’ accreditation.

To ensure its commitment to delivering high quality care to children, young people and their families who use its services Richard House participated in the independent accreditation process.

Peter Ellis, the chief executive of Richard House, said: “For voluntary sector organisations such as children’s hospices, the challenge is meeting national quality standards on a limited budget.

“Richard House has an ongoing commitment to effective governance and clear leadership which are essential to ensuring continued high quality care services for families and the wider community and retaining the confidence of donors, funders, volunteers and staff.

“It is a great tribute to our staff and recognises their contribution towards high quality care. We all feel extremely proud.”

CHKS is a quality assurance tool for independent organisations, which sets out a framework of standards which need to be in place to ensure the capacity to provide high quality service and to ensure that this is consistently reproducible.

Richard House was assessed on patient safety, patient experience, clinical governance, leadership and staff experience.

The accreditation, which is widely used by healthcare organisations across Europe, is valid for three years with ongoing monitoring.

Source: Richard House Children’s Hospice