What to do when someone dies
Firstly, we want to offer our deepest condolences during what must be a very difficult time for you.
We understand what an emotional time this can be. To also have the responsibility of registering the death and arranging a funeral can place a huge burden upon even the most resilient of people.
Secondly, we’ve put together this resource to help guide you through the initial steps you need to take and to help you understand when it is the right time to contact your funeral director.
1). Phone the GP surgery or NHS out-of-hours
If the death occurs at home during the day (8:00 am to 6:30 pm) you should first contact the family doctors’ surgery.
In normal circumstances the doctor will issue a proposed Medical Certificate of Cause of Death to an independent Medical Examiner, whose role it is to accept and authorise the cause of death.
If the death occurs in hospital or a residential home, those in charge will contact a doctor who will then liaise with the Medical Examiner.
If the cause of death is uncertain or death was sudden, then the doctor or Medical Examiner may report the death to the Coroner for further investigation.
The Medical Examiner will contact you to discuss the cause of death and answer any questions you may have. Following this they will inform you when the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death has been forwarded to the Registrar to enable you to register the death.
If the death occurred in the evening or at a weekend then the process will remain the same but you may be redirected from the family doctors number to secondary NHS support contact. Alternatively, you can call the NHS out-of-hours service directly via 111.
2). Contact your funeral director
Once the death has been verified by a qualified medical practitioner, the next step is to phone the funeral director. If your loved one took out a pre-paid funeral plan then they will have nominated a funeral director – or they may have told you who they wish to undertake their funeral.
There is no need to contact your funeral director prior to this time, for example, to let them know that a death is imminent. Funeral directors are always ready to guide you through the next steps at any time of day as soon as a death has been verified.
Our approach
Whenever we receive the sad news of a death, it is important that we establish the surrounding circumstances before we can advise you of the correct steps to take next. We will ask you a few simple questions to help us guide you as we never make assumptions about any situation.
If the death occurs at home we will ask whether you would like your loved one to be removed to our chapel immediately or whether you would prefer to have some time with them at home. There is no reason why the deceased cannot stay at home until the time of the funeral, although it may be advisable to carry out some preservative treatment, if this were to be the case.
When we do call to take the deceased to our Chapel of Rest, we appreciate that this is an extremely difficult time for the family. Please be assured that we take great care at this stage and we are sensitive to each individual situation.
At this point, we would also guide you through the early steps of arranging a funeral. We would make an appointment to either visit you at your home or for you to visit us, so that we can discuss all the arrangements.
Throughout this time, we will be on-hand 24/7 to answer any questions or concerns you may have, or if you just need to hear a friendly voice.
Common questions
How do I register a death?
All deaths need to be registered by the Registrar of Births, Marriages and Deaths in the County where the death occurred.
This should be done within five days of the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death being issued to the Registrar, or notification from the Coroners Office if the Coroner is involved.
To make an appointment in Norfolk please either telephone: 0344 800 8020 or book online here.
The Registrar will also give you the opportunity to use the ‘Tell Us Once’ service which you can use to inform all Government Departments of the death. The process will be explained by the Registrar and it can save you many hours on the telephone.
You should take with you to the Registrar any birth or marriage certificates and the deceased’s Medical Card, if available. Please do not worry if none of these are available.
The registrar will need the following information about the deceased:
- Date and place of birth
- Full name
- Name and date of birth of any surviving spouse
- Maiden name, if applicable
- Former occupation
We will receive the Green Certificate directly, if the Registrar issues one. You will also be asked if you require any copies of the Death Certificate which you may need for any financial institutions such as Banks and Insurance Companies when dealing with the estate. Please note that there will be a cost for each Death Certificate.
When would the coroner become involved?
The Coroner would only be involved if the GP is unable to state the cause of death. This is most common when the death is unexpected or suspicious. The Coroner would also look into any death which may be related to an industrial disease.
The term “sudden” can include the death of any person who has not been seen by a doctor within fourteen days before the death happened.
In some cases the Coroner, after discussion with a doctor, will give the doctor permission to issue a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. Alternatively, the Coroner may order a post mortem examination to establish the cause of death.
The coroner will then either issue a certificate to allow registration of the death in the usual way or, alternatively, they may order an inquest if the cause of death was not natural. This would normally happen a few weeks after the death to allow time to thoroughly examine the circumstances surrounding the death.
When there is to be an inquest, the Coroner will issue a form to allow the funeral to go ahead. However, registration of the death cannot take place until after the inquest. The Coroner can issue temporary death certificates if required for banks or other financial institutions.
The only other time that the Coroner would be involved is if someone dies abroad or if there is a request to move the deceased out of England and Wales.