When someone passes away at home, the first call to make should be to the GP Surgery. A Doctor or Paramedic will attend to confirm and verify that death has occurred; they will then give permission for the deceased to be conveyed into our care. If the death was expected and a Registered Nurse or Paramedic is present, it will not be necessary for a Doctor to attend.

Irrespective of the time of day or night, please contact us after the Doctor or Paramedic has verified the death.

A Doctor will review medical records to establish the cause of death then converse with the Medical Examiner.

The Medical Examiner will contact the Next of Kin to explain the cause of death; this gives the Next of Kin the opportunity to raise any concerns. If no concerns are raised, the Medical Examiner will issue a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) to the Registrar. Upon receipt of the MCCD, the Registrar will contact the Next of Kin to make an appointment to register the death.

You do not need to collect any documents from the GP surgery.

If the death was sudden or unexpected, the Coroner will be informed; it may be necessary for the deceased to be taken into the Coroner’s care for further investigation.

The Nursing Home staff will contact the Next of Kin if not present at the time of death. The death will be verified by a Doctor / Paramedic or a trained member of staff. Upon the family’s instruction, the staff will contact us to make arrangements for the deceased to be conveyed into our care.

The same procedure as above then applies to the process for registration.

The Nursing staff will contact the next of kin if not present at the time of death, and will arrange for a doctor to complete certification.

The family are required to contact the bereavement office at the Hospital to arrange collection of any personal belongings. The Bereavement Care Team will liaise with the Next of Kin to make an appointment to register the death.

We ask the family to contact us directly to confirm that they would like to use our services.

Some deaths are reported to the Coroner’s Office – If, for example:

• Death was sudden, violent or caused by an accident
• Death might be due to an industrial injury or disease
• The death occurred while the patient was undergoing an operation or was under the effect of an anaesthetic, a recent fracture, or within 24 hours of a hospital admission.

The Coroner will decide if a post-mortem examination is required. The Coroner has a legal right to request a post-mortem, even if it is contrary to the family’s beliefs and wishes.

The Coroner’s officer will liaise with the family and issue the relevant documents to the Registry Office to enable funeral arrangements to proceed.

Please note: it is important to inform us if the death has been referred to the Coroner.

An appointment to register the death is required. This must take place within 5 working days from the date the Doctor issues the MCCD (unless the case has been referred to the Coroner) and at the Registry Office in the district where the death occurred.

Please note, only a relative of the deceased, someone present at the time of death or the person making the funeral arrangements may register the death.

Information required:
Don’t worry if all of these documents are not available, the important one is the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD).

• Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD)
• The deceased’s National Insurance Number
• The deceased’s date of birth
• Information on benefits or services the deceased received
• Passport
• Driving Licence
• Disability Badge
• Bus Pass
• Medical Card
• Marriage Certificate
• Birth Certificate.

It is important to establish who will be responsible for making the formal arrangements, this is usually the next of kin or the Executor of the Will. This person will also be responsible for making sure all funeral costs are met.

Before attending an appointment with us please consider some of the following options: will it be a burial or cremation, a private gathering or a bigger ceremony, whether or not it should be a religious or secular and most importantly what the deceased would have wanted.

Whatever is decided we are here to provide guidance and support and make the process as stress free as possible.

Once the formal arrangements have been made we will send a confirmation letter and estimate listing the details we have agreed, along with our terms and conditions.

We will always explain the different fees and charges that are involved in arranging a funeral, that’s why it is important to discuss the costs and financial position when speaking with the funeral director at the time of arranging.

There are some costs associated with a funeral that we have no control over. These include cremation or burial fees, Minister or Celebrant fees, flowers and newspaper notices. In some cases we may require payment for these before the funeral takes place.

An itemised estimate will be provided before the funeral takes place. Our final account will be issued to the person who made the formal arrangements unless stated otherwise after the funeral has taken place.

Financial assistance may be available via the Government funeral expenses payment scheme;

The Government Funeral Expenses Payment offers financial assistance and provides a limited amount, which may cover a very basic funeral, or provide a contribution towards a more traditional funeral. Further information can be found here; https://www.gov.uk/funeral-payments