Question 1

What should I do if a loved one dies at home?

Accepted Answer

When an expected death occurs at home, you will need to contact either the district nurses involved in the deceased’s care or their GP surgery. This will prompt a healthcare professional to visit and verify the death. If the death occurs out of hours, and you cannot get hold of the out of hours district nurses/GP, you can call 111 and explain that an expected death has occurred and that you need verification.

Once the death has been verified, you are then able contact us to arrange the transfer to our Chapel of Rest at our premises in Hereford, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We will attend at a time agreed with you. Please do not feel hurried to call us, some family/friends may wish to say their goodbyes at home before we arrive. The deceased’s next of kin/executor will receive a call in the coming working days following the death from a Medical Examiner (an independent doctor whose role it is to ensure everything is as it should be and all paperwork is correct). Please let the Medical Examiner know if the deceased had a pacemaker, internal defibrillator or any other kind of battery-powered implant.

Following this call, the Medical Examiner will remotely send the documents to the local Registrar’s office. The Registrar’s office will be in contact a day or so after receiving these documents to arrange an appointment for a representative to register the death in person. This is when you will receive the official death certificate. We do not require a death certificate, only the ‘green certificate’ (the certificate for cremation or burial) that the Registrar will also produce.

Question 2

What should I do if a loved one dies in hospital?

Accepted Answer

If a hospital death occurs, the doctor looking after the deceased will usually be able to issue the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. Main acute hospitals will generally have a bereavement team for you to contact the following working day. They will advise of the next steps required. Please note that community hospitals are generally GP-ran; in this case, speak with the nurse in charge of the ward. The deceased’s next of kin/executor will receive a call in the coming working days following the death from a Medical Examiner (an independent doctor whose role it is to ensure everything is as it should be and all paperwork is correct). Please let the Medical Examiner know if the deceased had a pacemaker, internal defibrillator or any other kind of battery-powered implant, although this will typically show on the deceased’s medical records.

Following this call, the Medical Examiner will remotely send the documents to the local Registrar’s office. The Registrar’s office will be in contact a day or so after receiving these documents to arrange an appointment for a representative to register the death in person. This is when you will receive the official death certificate. We do not require a death certificate, only the ‘green certificate’ (the certificate for cremation or burial) that the Registrar will also produce.

Once you have contacted us and instructed us to carry out the funeral arrangements, we will liaise directly with the hospital to arrange transferring the deceased to our Private Chapel of Rest at our premises in Hereford. Please ensure you have informed the bereavement team of your chosen funeral director.

Question 3

What should I do if a loved one dies in a nursing home?

Accepted Answer

Similarly to a death occurring at home, once death has been verified, you or the nursing home staff can contact us and arrange the transfer into our care. The staff at the nursing home will organise the death to be verified by a healthcare professional. The deceased’s next of kin/executor will receive a call in the coming working days following the death from a Medical Examiner (an independent doctor whose role it is to ensure everything is as it should be and all paperwork is correct). Please let the Medical Examiner know if the deceased had a pacemaker, internal defibrillator or any other kind of battery-powered implant.

Following this call, the Medical Examiner will remotely send the documents to the local Registrar’s office. The Registrar’s office will be in contact a day or so after receiving these documents to arrange an appointment for a representative to register the death in person. This is when you will receive the official death certificate. We do not require a death certificate, only the ‘green certificate’ (the certificate for cremation or burial) that the Registrar will also produce.

Question 4

What should I do if a loved one dies in a hospice?

Accepted Answer

Please inform the hospice staff which funeral director you wish to use. You or the hospice staff can call us to arrange the transfer to our Chapel of Rest at our premises in Hereford, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week when the hospice staff are ready. The deceased’s next of kin/executor will receive a call in the coming working days following the death from a Medical Examiner (an independent doctor whose role it is to ensure everything is as it should be and all paperwork is correct). Please let the Medical Examiner know if the deceased had a pacemaker, internal defibrillator or any other kind of battery-powered implant.

Following this call, the Medical Examiner will remotely send the documents to the local Registrar’s office. The Registrar’s office will be in contact a day or so after receiving these documents to arrange an appointment for a representative to register the death in person. This is when you will receive the official death certificate. We do not require a death certificate, only the ‘green certificate’ (the certificate for cremation or burial) that the Registrar will also produce.

Question 5

What should I do if the death was sudden or unexpected?

Accepted Answer

If the doctor cannot issue a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death, it may mean the death needs to be referred to the Coroner for further investigation or consideration.

If the death is referred to HM Coroner, their office will arrange with the funeral director for the deceased to be transferred to a hospital mortuary in order that the death can be investigated. The Coroner’s Officer will keep the next of kin/executor updated at every stage.

Deaths referred to HM Coroner sometimes have a different registration process, the Coroner’s Officer will advise you accordingly.

Frequently Asked Questions