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What to do when someone dies

We have prepared a guide, shown below, to give you some advice on what to do when someone dies. This guide is also available in leaflet form, with the added option of a large print version and a copy on tape for the blind, so please contact us if you would like to be given any of these.

Following the loss of someone in hospital

Once someone dies in hospital (where the death was expected), if the relatives are not present at the time of death, the nursing staff will inform the relatives as soon as possible.

An appointment will need to be made with the Hospital Patient Affairs office, who will collect the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (issued by the Hospital Doctor) and any personal possessions of the deceased on your behalf and pass these on to you. You may have to sign a Release Form releasing the deceased into our care.

The deceased will then be kept at the hospital until we have permission to collect them and bring them back to our Chapel of Rest in Eye.

Following the loss of someone at home

If the death was expected, the usual GP of the deceased or the Doctor on call needs to be contacted. They will then visit and certify the death and determine the cause of death.

The Doctor may not be able to attend immediately as they may be in their surgery or this may have occurred in the middle of the night.

Once the Doctor has attended, he or she will issue a form called the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. The Doctor may not leave this when they attend, so you may need to collect this from their surgery the following day.

Once you have the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death, you then have to make an appointment at the Registration Office with the Registrar of Births & Deaths for the sub-district in which the death occurred, regardless of whether or not the deceased lived in this district. The registration has to be done within five days unless the registrar says this period may be exceeded. You can find the telephone number and address in the telephone book under Registration of Births, Deaths & Marriages or from the Doctor (some useful numbers are also provided on this website).

The people who can register the death are:

• A relative of the deceased
• Someone present at the death
• The occupier of the house or hospital if he/she knew of the death
• Another person living at the house if he/she knew of the death
• The person making the funeral arrangements

When you go to the Registrars you should take all of the following:

• The Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death (issued by the GP)
• The deceased’s medical card (if possible)
• Any pension book, or documentation relating to any pension or benefits the deceased was receiving from public funds
• The deceased’s birth & marriages certificates (if possible)

The registrar will then issue you with a Certificate for Burial or Cremation (usually known as the Green Form). This allows the body to be buried or cremated, and needs to be given to the Funeral Director. You will be able to purchase Certified Copies of the Entry into the Death Register (also known as the death certificate).

If, in any case of a death at home, the Doctor cannot determine the cause of death, then the Doctor will inform the Coroner.

Following the loss of someone in another area

If an expected death happens away from home the same procedure will be followed, but the Doctor local to the area will carry out the formalities. If it is wished for the deceased to be brought home for the funeral following the above formalities, all the arrangements for this can be taken care of by us.

If the death has occurred abroad we can also advise on what options are available.

Following a death being reported to the Coroner

If the usual GP cannot determine the cause of death, or the death was sudden or unexpected, the death will be reported to the Coroner.

The Coroner is a Doctor or Lawyer responsible for investigating deaths in the following situations:

• The deceased was not attended by a doctor during their last illness or the Doctor has not seen the deceased within the 14 days before death
• The death was violent or unnatural or occurred under suspicious circumstances
• The cause of death is not known or is uncertain
• The death occurred while the deceased was undergoing an operation or did not recover from the anaesthetic
• The death was caused by an industrial disease
• The death occurred in Police custody

Once a death has been reported to the Coroner, the Coroner will arrange for the deceased to be transferred from the place of death to the local hospital. This is usually carried out by a contracted funeral director but does not mean you have to use this funeral director to carry out the arrangements. You may use whichever funeral service you choose. The Coroner will not charge you for this transfer.

The Coroner may wish to perform a post-mortem examination of the body. Consent for this examination is not required by the family. The post-mortem usually takes place at the local hospital.

If the post-mortem shows the death to be due to natural causes the Coroner will issue a Pink Form (form 100) usually sent directly to the Registrar. This will allow the death to be registered in the normal way.

In the case of an unnatural, unexplained or violent death following the post-mortem, the Coroner will hold an inquest into the medical cause of death and circumstances of the death. It is held in public, sometimes with a jury, and is to ascertain who the deceased was, how, when and where they died and all particulars needed to register the death. It is up to the Coroner how to organise this. Often the inquest is opened and adjourned to allow a funeral to take place. The Coroner's officer is usually on hand to help you through the details.

During this time the deceased will remain at the hospital that carried out the post-mortem up until the Coroner gives us permission to collect them and bring them back to our Chapel.

We hope this has explained things a little more clearly for you. Should you have more questions or are unclear about anything to do with the loss of a loved one please do not hesitate to call us on the number shown at the foot of this page. We are happy to answer any questions.