What you can do today
- Tell one person what has happened. This could be somebody you know, your GP, a bereavement helpline or a peer-support service.
- Choose one immediate task. If practical decisions feel unmanageable, ask someone to sit with you while you make a call or read the official guidance.
- Use specialist support if the death was by suicide. You can contact a service even if you were not the person's closest relative.[1]
Talk to a bereavement service
Cruse Bereavement Support: UK helpline
Cruse offers a UK-wide bereavement helpline. Its local services cover England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
0808 808 1677. Free to call.
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 9.30am to 5pm; Tuesday, 1pm to 8pm. Closed at weekends.
The line can be busy. Check the current helpline page for changes to opening times. Cruse Bereavement Support helpline details.
Scotland: Cruse Scotland
Cruse Scotland provides bereavement support for adults, children and families across Scotland.
0808 802 6161. Free to call.
Monday and Thursday, 9am to 8pm; Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 9am to 5pm. Closed at weekends.
You may need to leave a voicemail. Check the current helpline page for changes to opening times. Cruse Scotland helpline details.
The NHS also says to contact a GP if you are struggling to cope with stress, anxiety or low mood, or if what you have tried is not helping. In England, adults can also self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies in many areas.[2]
If the death was by suicide
Support after a suicide can include practical information, one-to-one support and contact with other people who have experienced a suicide loss.
If you had been supporting them, you may find yourself replaying conversations or wondering whether you should have done more. Help is at Hand (PDF, page 7) describes how guilt can feel like failure, even when you have offered care and support. You can talk about these thoughts with a suicide-bereavement service; you do not have to work through them alone.
Help is at Hand
This NHS-supported guide covers practical and emotional support after suicide or an unexplained death. Read or download Help is at Hand.
Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide
SoBS offers peer support for adults affected by suicide loss, including local and online groups, a forum, email support and a phone line. Its services are not counselling.[3]
0300 111 5065. Calls may be charged.
Check opening times with SoBS; its current website does not confirm them.
Phone support is provided by volunteers who have also been bereaved by suicide. This is not a crisis service. SoBS support options.
If a child or teenager has been bereaved
The NHS lists specialist services for bereaved children and young people, including Child Bereavement UK, Grief Encounter, Hope Again and Winston's Wish.
An inquest or investigation after the death
If a coroner is involved in England or Wales, GOV.UK explains inquests and what happens next, including where to get free, independent support from the Coroners’ Courts Support Service.
If you need help with what happens after a death
GOV.UK explains the practical steps after a death in England and Wales, including registering the death, arranging a funeral and dealing with benefits and tax. Scotland and Northern Ireland use different routes, which the page links to.
Sources and how this guide was written
What you can do today
The NHS says grief affects people in different ways and that there is no right or wrong way to feel. It lists talking to a friend, family member, health professional, counsellor or peer-support service as possible sources of help. NHS: grief after bereavement or loss.Talk to a bereavement service
NHS bereavement guidance explains when to contact a GP and links to NHS Talking Therapies in England. Cruse Bereavement Support describes its branches across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, while Cruse Scotland provides the Scotland service.If the death was by suicide
Support After Suicide Partnership brings together UK organisations providing suicide-bereavement support. SoBS describes its service as peer-led support for bereaved adults across the UK.
Last full source check: 27 August 2026
Later checks: Guilt and coroner signposting checked: 27 September 2026. Cruse, Cruse Scotland and SoBS contact details and service descriptions checked: 8 October 2026; SoBS opening times were not stated on its website.
Independent information, not a medical or crisis service. This guidance has not been clinically reviewed. How we use sources.
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