Communicating the Death of a Patient/Relative
During this unprecedented pandemic one of the most emotionally difficult challenges that carers and healthcare workers face is the painful task of communicating the death of a loved one to families. The absence of face-to-face interactions means that many must undertake this painful task by telephone. Adults may then be faced with the seemingly impossible task of telling children the devastating news that a loved one has died
Responding to these urgent needs, the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford has developed a series of step-by-step guides and animations for healthcare workers, care staff and teachers. The guides are free to access and have been translated into multiple languages. Selected resoruces are available below:
Resources for Healthcare Professionals:
- Guides
- Contacting Relatives by Phone to Communicate Death of a Patient
Available in: Spanish | Urdu | Portuguese
- Contacting Relatives by Phone to Communicate Death of a Patient - International Version
The above guide has been developed specifically for users in low-resource settings - - Communicating Difficult News About a Child’s Health Over the Phone
Resources for Care Staff:
- Animation
- Contacting Relatives by Phone to Communicate Death of a Resident during the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Guide
- Contacting Relatives by Phone to Communicate Death of a Resident during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Resources for Families:
- Animation
- How to tell Children that Someone has Died
- Guides
- How to tell Children that Someone has Died
Available in: Spanish | Urdu | Portuguese
- How to tell Children that Someone has Died - International Version
The above guide has been developed specifically for users in low-resource settings
- Communicating Difficult News About the Health of a Child or Adolescent Over the Phone
Support for Schools
The team have developed a guide specifically for school staff, to whom children may turn to ask questions or share their experiences or worries about illness and bereavement during the last few months.
Communication for Children
It is critical to highlight the importance of ensuring adult’s everyday communication with children reflects their developmental understanding and that adults are authentic about the uncertainty and psychological challenges of the pandemic.
Additional translations and resources are being added all of the time, so please check the Department of Psychiatry's website regularly!
