When Someone Dies

When you are called upon to arrange a funeral it can be a very stressful and confusing time. Alfred Dunham & Son Ltd funeral directors have many years of experience and we are here to assist you in any way we can.

Please find below the process of what to do next when the death occurs:

Death at Home

• Should the death occur at home, you will need to inform their doctors practice (or the on-call doctor) as soon as possible. Once the doctor has attended and certified death, please then call us on our 24 hour line 01246 413205 to arrange for us to take your loved one into our care.

Death in a Hospital or Hospice

• If the death occurs in a hospital, you will be directed to the hospital’s bereavement team. Your loved one will remain in the hospital/hospice mortuary until the death has been registered. Once this has taken place, we will make arrangements to convey your loved one into our care.

Death in a Care Home

• In the event that the death occurs in a care home, the nursing staff will call a doctor who will come to certify Death. The care home will then contact us to take your loved one into our care.

In all of the above cases, a medical practitioner will then complete a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) and will send this to a Medical Examiner.

The Medical Examiner will independently scrutinize the case and will contact you to confirm the cause of death and answer any questions you may have. They will then confirm if you can register the death at the local registry office. The death must be registered within five days from this point.

When a death is reported to a coroner

A Medical Examiner may report the death to a coroner if the:

• Cause of death is unknown
• Death was violent or unnatural
• Death was sudden and unexplained
• Person who died was not visited by a medical practitioner during their final illness
• Medical certificate isn’t available
• Death occurred during an operation or before the person came out of anaesthetic
• Medical certificate suggests the death may have been caused by an industrial disease or industrial poisoning

If the coroner decides that the cause of death is clear, they will issue a certificate to the registrar stating a post-mortem isn’t needed and you will need to contact the registry office.

If the coroner decides a post-mortem is needed to find out how the person died

• This can be done either in a hospital or mortuary
• You can’t object to a coroner’s post-mortem – but if you’re asked, the coroner must tell you (and the person’s GP) when and where the examination will take place.

If no inquest is needed

• The coroner will release the body for a funeral once they have completed the post-mortem examination and no further examinations are needed.
• The coroner will send a form to the registrar stating the cause of death.
• The coroner will also send the necessary documentation to the funeral director for funeral arrangements to take place.

If an inquest is required

• possibly died a violent or unnatural death
• died in prison or police custody

You can’t register the death until after the inquest. The coroner is responsible for sending the relevant paperwork to the registrar and can give you an interim death certificate. You can use this to let organisations know of the death and apply for probate. When the inquest is over the coroner will tell the registrar what to put in the register.

Who should register the death?

A close relative of the deceased should be the one to register the death.

If a relative cannot for any reason register the death then you can do it if you:

• were there at the time of the death
• are an administrator for the hospital (if the deceased passed away in hospital)
• are in charge of making funeral arrangements

Documents required:

• Birth Certificate
• Council Tax bill
• Driving Licence
• Marriage or civil partnership certificate
• NHS medical card
• Passport
• Proof of address (e.g. utility bill)

Ask the register office what to do if you do not have them.

You’ll need to tell the registrar:

• the person’s full name at the time of death
• any names previously used, e.g. maiden name
• the person’s date and place of birth
• their last address
• their occupation
• the full name, date of birth and occupation of a surviving or late spouse or civil partner
• whether they were getting a State Pension or any other benefits

Documents you’ll get when you register a death:

• a Certificate for Burial or Cremation (the ‘green form’) – gives permission for burial or an application for cremation
• a Certificate of Registration of Death (form BD8) – you may need to fill this in and return it if the person was getting a State Pension or benefits (the form will come with a pre-paid envelope so you know where to send it)
• Death Certificate – A certified copy of the entry into the register.

You can buy extra death certificates – these will be needed for sorting out the person’s affairs. More information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/when-someone-dies