The Guide
What do I do now?
INTRODUCTION.
Thankfully, arranging a funeral is a rare event in most peoples lives, and many reading this guide will be doing so for the first time. The task ahead of you will be a worrying and traumatic time and you are likely to have many questions and concerns; we will guide you through these as painlessly as possible; though most importantly, DO NOT ALLOW ANYONE TO RUSH YOU or push you into speedy decisions which you may later regret.
The ONLY time constraint is registration which, unless there is coroner involvement or other circumstances preventing it, must be within five days of death.
WHAT DO I DO WHEN SOMEONE DIES?
This depends on where the death has taken place, though in all cases a qualified person must certify that death has occured ( or certify Life Extinct ).
If the person has died at home contact the Doctor or Ambulance Service as appropriate. Once the Doctor or Paramedic has certified death and advised that the deceased may be moved you can, if you wish, contact your Funeral Director for them to be moved to their chapel of rest.
It is not necessary for the person to be moved immediately to the Funeral Home, indeed should you prefer the deceased to remain at home for a few hours, or even overnight, for friends or relatives to come and pay their respects, still call. If necessary your Funeral Director will despatch an ambulance crew who, if you want them to, will help to prepare your Loved One to a more suitable state of repose.
If it is a Paramedic who attends they will issue you with a 'Confirmation of Death' which you will need to take to the deceased's GP as soon as possible.
If the Doctor can certify the cause of death he or she will issue a Medical Certificate showing the cause of death and a Formal Notice stating that they have signed the Medical Certificate.
If death occurs in a care or residential home the staff at the home will contact the GP or duty Doctor on your behalf. They will inform you of the whereabouts of the Medical Certificate and the Formal Notice. Most care homes do not have the facilities to keep the deceased on the premises for any length of time, so if they have a record of your chosen Funeral Director on file they will contact them on your behalf. If there is no record of your wishes they may contact a local Funeral Director and arrange for the deceased to be taken there, until you are able to make alternative arrangements.
You are not obliged to use the firm who moved your Loved One from the home. Your own Funeral Director will arrange for them to be transferred at no extra cost to you.
If the person died in Hospital the staff there will arrange the issue of the Medical Certificate and the Formal Notice. These will normally be made available from the Hospital Certificate Office and you will be advised of when they are likely to be available for collection.
If you would like to spend time with the deceased in the hospital chapel of rest contact the Ward Sister who will help to arrange it for you.
CORONER INVOLVEMENT
Why?
In some circumstances, such as sudden or unexplained death, the Doctor must, by law, notify the Coroner. This need not cause undue alarm, sometimes the Coroner is able to establish the cause of death simply by making enquiries and conferring with the Doctors.
The Coroner is responsible for investigating deaths where :-
- the deceased was not attended to by a Doctor during their last illness or where the treating Doctor had not seen the deceased either after or within fourteen days prior to their demise.
- the cause of death is uncertain
- death occurred while undergoing an operation or within a certain time frame afterwards, or if the patient did not recover from an anaesthetic
- death is suspected of being a result of an industrial disease
- death occurred whilst in police or HMP custody
- death is suspected of being caused by violence or unexplained circumstances
The Coroner may arrange for a post - mortem examination to be carried out if he deems it necessary. If the post - mortem reveals that death was due to natural causes the Coroner will release the body for the funeral to take place. A coroners officer will inform you of this and advise you on registration.
CORONERS INQUESTS
The Coroner will hold an inquest if the death :-
- was unnatural
- was caused by violence, privation or neglect
- occurred in prison or police custody
- was caused by an industrial accident / injury
- has an uncertain cause
If the Coroners enquiries are likely to take some time the Coroner may open and adjourn the inquest but issue the documentation for the funeral to take place.
REGISTRATION
The death must be registered by the Registrar of Births and Deaths for the sub-district in which the death occurred, even if the deceased resided in a different area. The information to register may be given at any Registrar in England or Wales; however, the information must then be forwarded to the appropriate sub-district which may cause a delay in funerary proceedings. You must register the death within five working days unless there has been a referral to Coroner. If there are any extenuating circumstances you should inform the Registrar without delay.
When Registering the death you should take with you the Medical certificate and, if available
- the deceased's medical card
- the deceased's birth and marriage certificates
and the Registrar will need to know
- the date and place of death
- their last address
- full forenames, surname and,if there was one, maiden name
- the date and place of birth ( town or city will suffice )
- details of any benefits or pensions
- and,if the deceased had a partner, their partner's name, occupation and date of birth.