When A Death Occurs
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.