When A Death Occurs

Lord-Brown & Harty

Funeral Directors

Step 1. Where has the death occurred?

At Home

When a death occurs at home, you will need to inform your GP that a death has taken place as soon as you reasonably can. The GP will either come to confirm death in person, or an on-call doctor or nurse practitioner may attend.

Once the death has been confirmed, please call us as soon as possible. We will arrange to come and see you when convenient and transfer the deceased to our funeral home. We will then make another appointment to come and see you to discuss the funeral arrangements when you are ready to do so. Alternatively, you can come and see us at our funeral home if you prefer.

The doctor will write out a Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death (commonly referred to as the death certificate). We will arrange to collect this from the surgery on your behalf and take it to the registrar's office for you. An appointment can then be made for you to formally register the death, at which time you can request official copies of the death certificate.

In Hospital

The Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death will be made available to you by the hospital. The office dealing with these matters (normally the Bereavement Office or General Office) will inform you when this may be collected. We can then make an appointment for you to attend the registrar's office for you to formally register the death. We will deal with the hospital concerning cremation certificates and arrange collection of the deceased from the hospital.

In A Nursing Home

The nursing home will arrange for the GP to attend to confirm death and will ask you who your preferred funeral director is. They will then contact us to arrange to transfer the deceased to our funeral home. We will then liaise with the GP to arrange for a Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death to be issued, and other matters relating to cremation if relevant.

Unexpected Death

If the deceased has not been seen by a doctor, has died suddenly or unexpectedly, or as the result of an accident, the death will be reported to the Coroner. In all cases, you must first contact your GP, who will arrange to inform the coroner, who will then instruct us to transfer the deceased to a local hospital until a course of further action is decided.

Deaths Abroad

We are fully experienced in dealing with deaths which occur abroad, and the procedures in repatriating the deceased back to the UK. In these cases, please contact us as soon as you can, so we can explain the procedures we need to go through.

We are also able to take care of outward repatriation when the death occurs here and the deceased needs to be transferred internationally. In these cases, please contact us as soon as possible so we can discuss your requirements.

Step 2. The Coroner

The Coroner's Involvement

The coroner may decide that death was natural and allow a doctor to issue the medical certificate of cause of death. If not, the coroner may decide a post-mortem examination is needed to determine the cause of death.

A death will be reported to the coroner when:

The Cause of Death is Not Known
The Deceased Was Not Attended by a Doctor during their Final Illness
Death Was Sudden and Unexplained
The Doctor Treating the Deceased Had Not Seen Them in the 14 Days prior to Death or After Death
Death Occurred During an Operation or Before the Person Came Out of Anaesthetic
The Death Was Caused by an Industrial Injury or Disease
Death Was Violent, Unnatural, or Occurred under Suspicious Circumstances
The Death Occurred as a Result of Violence, Neglect, Abortion, or Any Kind of Poisoning

Death Due to Natural Causes

If the post-mortem examination shows that death was due to natural causes, the coroner will send the necessary paperwork directly to the register office. If the coroner decides to hold an inquest, the death cannot be registered until after the inquest has been completed. They will, however, issue you with an interim death certificate that will be accepted by most banks and building societies. The coroner will also issue the funeral director with the necessary forms for the funeral to take place.

Further Details

Once the coroner has made one of the above decisions, he/she will inform you and advise you of the next steps. When the coroner is satisfied that no further examinations are required, he/she will give permission for us to take the deceased into our care.

Step 3. Registering the Death

The death must be registered in the district register office where the death occurred. They use an appointment system, so please arrange this by telephone. The below lists who can register a death:

A Relative of the Deceased, Present at Death
A Relative of the Deceased, in Attendance during the Last Illness
A Relative of the Deceased Residing or Being in the Sub-District Where Death Occurred
A Person Present at the Death
The Person Responsible for the Funeral Arrangements (but Not the Funeral Director)
The Occupier of the Premises Where Death Occurred

The Registrar's Requirements

This includes the medical certificate of the cause of death. If the death was reported to the coroner, this will have been sent directly to the registrar. Also, if available, take the following:

Driving Licence
The Deceased's Medical Card
The Deceased's Birth Certificate
Passport
The Deceased's Marriage or Civil Partnership Certificate (If Applicable)

The registrar will also require the following information:

The Date and Place of Death
The Deceased's Last Address
The Deceased's Full Name and Surname (and Maiden Name Where Applicable )
The Deceased's Occupation (or Last Occupation if Retired)
The Full Name, Date of Birth, and Occupation of their Spouse or Civil Partner (If Applicable)
Whether the Deceased Was Receiving a Pension or Any Other Benefits

The registrar will give you:

A Certificate of Burial or Cremation (Green Form): This should be given to us as soon as possible.
A Certificate of Registration of Death (Form BD8): This may need to be sent to the social security office if the deceased was receiving state pension or any other benefits.
The Death Certificate (or Death Entry): This is a copy of the entry in the death register. You may need more than one copy for the will, insurance policies, bank, and private pension schemes. These are available, but there is a charge for each copy.
Registration by Declaration: If the deceased was a visitor to the area or if you, their relative, do not live locally, then you may register the death by declaration at your local register office. However, the paperwork will still need to be processed between your local registrar and the registrar where death occurred.

This will cause a delay in you receiving the certificates required to go ahead with the funeral arrangements, so this must be considered when planning a date for the funeral.

Tell Us Once

When you register a death at our Register Offices we can provide a service called 'tell us once' to inform other council departments, the Department of Work and Pensions, HMRC and the DVLA so you don't have to. This service is only available at Caernarfon, Bangor, Pwllheli and Dolgellau registry offices.

You will need to bring the following information about the person who has died if you have it:

Their National Insurance number and date of birth
Details of any benefits or services they were receiving
Their death certificate
Their Driving Licence or Driving Licence number
Their Passport or Passport number and town/country of birth
Their blue parking badge
Their bus pass

We may also need the contact details for:

Their next of kin
A surviving husband, wife or civil partner
The person dealing with their estate

Find out more about Tell us once (external website)

List of Contacts

For any other information or advice, please call:

Registrars:

Conwy

Denbighshire

Gwynedd

Hospitals

Ysbyty Gwynedd
01248 384384 (Main Switch Board, please ask for General Office)

Ysbyty Glan Clwyd
01745 534147 (Bereavement Services)

Llandudno Hospital
0300 085 1850 (General Office)