First actions

If a death occurs at home your first action should be to contact the deceased's GP who, usually, will be able to confirm the death and give permission for the deceased to be moved. The doctor will normally advise contacting a funeral director who will arrange to take the deceased into their care. A Cause of Death Certificate may be issued at this time, or will be made available for collection shortly after from the doctor's surgery.

 

Sometimes, particularly overnight or at weekends, GPs hand over care of their patients to 'on-call' doctors who may not be able to attend a death. In such an event the death may be referred to H. M. Coroner and the police might have to be called. Depending on the area in which you live, you might be asked to nominate a funeral director whose services you wish to use, otherwise the deceased will be removed by the coroner's contractors. You are not obliged to make the funeral arrangements with the contractor, whatever might be said or implied.

 

Should the death have occurred in a hospital or nursing home, the formalities will usually have been carried out by the duty staff who will advise from where the Cause of Death Certificate can be collected, usually the hospital bereavement office, or the GP's surgery, respectively. Nursing home  staff will often then contact a funeral director of your choice.

Registration 

By law the death must be registered with the Registrar of Births, Marriages and Deaths, either in the district where the deceased lived, or where they died within five working days. As the introduction of new technology is allowing registration to take place in expanded areas please ask us for up-to-date procedures, telephone numbers and assistance both in making an appointment and in getting there.

 

Registration, requiring presentation of the Cause of Death Certificate, is normally carried out by the next of kin, a close relative or friend although, anyone present at the death or willing to accept financial responsibility for the funeral can do so.

The Registrar will require the following information concerning the deceased:

• place and date of both their birth and death;
• full name;
• home address;
• marital status;
• occupation;
• maiden name and, if a married woman, spouse's full name and occupation.