If the death occurs at Home or in a Nursing or Care Home
When the death occurs at home or at a nursing or care home, a staff member or yourself should contact the GP, who will then visit the deceased and issue the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. The GP will then inform the next-of-kin of the next steps required. At this point, please contact us and we will collect your loved one and take them to your chosen chapel of rest.
If the Nursing or Care Home staff are to liaise with us directly, please ensure that they are made aware of which chapel of rest you would like the deceased to be taken to, and whether there will be a cremation or burial.
The GP will issue a formal notice that informs you of the procedures to follow when registering a death.
If the death occurs in a Hospital
If a death is expected and occurs at a hospital, a staff member, quite often from the bereavement team, will contact the next-of-kin. They will arrange for you to collect any personal effects and the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death, together with the hospital’s own release form, if they issue one.
The hospital will care for the deceased until you have made arrangements with us to bring them into our care at your chosen chapel of rest.
The hospital staff will also inform you of the procedure for registering the death.
When the death is unexpected
If a death occurs suddenly or the deceased has not visited their doctor in the last fourteen days, the death will need to be reported to a Coroner, who may call for a post-mortem or an inquest. If the death occurs within a hospital or nursing home, they will report the death and advise you of the next steps.
If there is an unexpected death which does not occur within a hospital or nursing home, dial 999 and request an ambulance and police immediately, explaining the circumstances. They will arrange for the deceased to be taken to a mortuary where the Coroner is informed, and you will be contacted to advise you of the next steps to take and also when we will be able to bring the deceased into our care.
Usually, the Coroner’s work can take several days to complete. The Coroner will keep the next-of-kin informed at each stage of the process and will advise when you will be able to register the death and arrange the funeral.