At Home:
If the death was expected.
A medical professional must come to verify the death before you can contact a funeral director. Call their doctor or senior nurse who will come in person to do this.
Out of hours: NHS Tel: 111
The medical examiner will issue a 'medical certificate of cause of death', which is needed before you can register the death. They will give the certificate directly to the registrars and let you know once they have sent it.
You will then have 5 days to register the death.
Guidance on the registration procedure will be given by the Funeral Director.
At Home:
If the death was not expected.
If someone dies unexpectedly you must call emergency services on 999. They will contact the coroner to investigate the cause of death.
The coroner will arrange for a local funeral director to transfer the person who has died and take them to the hospital mortuary. You don’t need to use this funeral director, even if the person has been taken to their funeral home after the investigation is finished.
The coroner will issue a medical certificate of cause of death when they've finished their investigation, but you can still start arranging the funeral in the meantime. Sometimes, an ‘interim’ certificate is issued whilst further investigations are taking place.
In Hospital:
If the death was expected.
The medical examiner will issue a 'medical certificate of cause of death', which is needed before you can register the death. They will give the certificate directly to the registrars and let you know once they have sent it. You will then have 5 days to register the death.
In Hospital:
If the death was not expected.
The hospital might need to do a post-mortem examination to find out the cause of death. If they’re unable to find out the cause, the doctor will contact the coroner who will investigate further.
The coroner will issue a medical certificate of cause of death when they've finished their investigation. Sometimes, an ‘interim’ certificate is issued whilst further investigations are taking place. A funeral director can then bring the person who has died into their care. This can be arranged directly with the hospital.
In a Care Home or Hospice:
If the death was expected.
Staff at the care home will contact a medical professional to go in person to verify their death. Once this has happened you can arrange for a funeral director to bring them into their care.
The medical examiner will issue a 'medical certificate of cause of death', which is needed before you can register the death. They will give the certificate directly to the registrars and let you know once they have sent it. You will then have 5 days to register the death.
In a Care Home or Hospice:
If the death was not expected.
If someone dies unexpectedly at a care home the emergency services must be involved. They will contact the coroner to investigate the cause of death.
The coroner will arrange for a local funeral director to transfer the person who has died and take them to the hospital mortuary. You don’t need to use this funeral director, even if the person has been taken to their funeral home after the investigation is finished.
The coroner will issue a medical certificate of cause of death when they've finished their investigation, but you can still start arranging the funeral in the meantime. Sometimes, an ‘interim’ certificate is issued whilst further investigations are taking place.