Before the Funeral
What to do when a death occurs
When a death occurs in the family, whether it be at home or in hospital, there are many unfamiliar tasks which must be carried out. At such a time, when natural grief and anxiety weigh heavily upon you, you will need the care and advice of professional people. One of those with whom you will undoubtedly deal with is a funeral director.
If a death occurs at home
Contact your doctor (or the doctor on call) who will certify the death. The doctor will notify the Medical Examiner (M.E.). The M.E. will speak to the doctor and the family of the deceased. Most families prefer that the deceased is conveyed to the funeral director's chapel of rest as soon as possible. This can be arranged at anytime of the day or night by making contact with us.
If a death occurs at a Nursing or Residential Care Home
The home will contact a doctor who will certify the death. They will also contact a funeral director to convey the deceased to their Chapel of Rest. The doctor will notify the Medical Examiner (M.E.). The M.E. will speak to the doctor and the family of the deceased.
If a death occurs in Hospital
You will usually be informed by the hospital - the hospital will contact the M.E. who will then speak to the doctor and the family of the deceased.
If a death occurs suddenly in Hospital
or in the community
If the death is unexpected and the deceased has not been recently seen by the local doctor, the death will be reported to and handled by the Coroner. The procedure is somewhat different, but the Coroner and his/her officers are working in your interest.
Contact should be made with ourselves as soon as possible in order that we can assist with the handling of this procedure, relieving the family of any further distress.
Role of the Medical Examiner (M.E.)
The medical examiner is a senior doctor not involved in the care of the patient, who provides an independent scrutiny of each death. This service allows the cause of death to be more accurately identified, and the circumstances surrounding the death to be more objectively assessed.
The medical examiner has a team of medical examiner officers, who will contact you in the days following the death of your loved one. They will discuss with you the cause of death and listen to your views on the care provided. They can answer any questions you may have about the cause of death and the circumstances of the death.
Ideally, the medical examiner’s scrutiny process should only take a few days. Once this discussion has taken place, the medical examiner will liaise with the doctor to issue the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death to the Registrar, and you will be able to make an appointment to register the death.
Role of the Coroner
The coroner is an independent officer with the statutory responsibility for the legal investigation of some categories of deaths. The coroner is either a doctor or a lawyer by background and is supported by a team of coroner’s officers, who investigate any deaths which are referred to the coroner’s office.
The coroner is usually involved with any deaths that are:
- Sudden or unexpected deaths;
- Where death involved violence, trauma, physical injury or was caused by an accident;
- Where the cause of death is unknown and the doctor is not able to issued a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death;
- Where death has occurred during or after surgery, treatment or medical procedure;
- There may also be other reasons why a doctor/medical examiner may refer a death to the coroner.
Registration
A death must be registered in the county in which it has occurred. Whenever possible this should be done by a near relative/executor.
The Registrar will require the following information:
- National Health Number of the deceased
- National Insurance Number
- Date and place of death
- Full name of the deceased (maiden/former name if applicable)
- Date and place of birth
- Home address and postcode of the deceased
- Occupation of the deceased (even if retired)
- Occupation of spouse or civil partner
- Name and address of informant and their relationship to the deceased
- If the deceased is married or in a civil partnership at date of death, the date of birth of the surviving partner.
You may also need to take with you your own identification documents.
The Registrar will issue a green certificate (unless otherwise issued by the coroner) which you should hand to ourselves as soon as possible. The Registrar will also issue a white certificate of registration which will cancel any social benefits and also the state pension.
The Registrar will also issue certified copies of the entry into the register which you may need for legal or estate matters e.g. life insurances, probate, banks, savings certificates, premium bonds and any other financial interests. A small fee is applicable for these certificates.
