We realise that arranging a funeral for a loved one is something that people don’t have to do very often. We offer the level of support each individual requires. As most people are unaware of the steps and are usually finding their situation difficult, contacting us as soon as possible should make you feel like you have the guidance you need. We will be happy to support you and answer any question you may have.
This part of our website is here to help you start that process.
There are several things you must do in the first few days after someone passes away. These are things that we can’t do for you, but we can help you through this.
A Medical Examiner is a senior doctor, who independently reviews deaths to establish the cause of death and ensures that the process is fair and accurate.
The Medical Examiner (ME) reviews medical records and diagnostic information, and agree on the cause of death with the clinical team.
They also consider the views of the deceased’s family and any concerns they may have.
The ME will work with Doctors to complete the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD), also known as the death certificate. They discuss the MCCD with the family and agree it before sending to the Registrar.
Once sent families can then contact the registrar to book an appointment.
Once the ME has sent the MCCD to the Registrar you then need to make an appointment with the registrar from the area where the person passed away (Please see contact details for all our local Registrars on this website). You will be able to arrange a time and date to go and register the death. This is usually the duty of the next of kin to register. Of course, not everyone leaves relatives behind, this is understood so here is a list of others who can take on the responsibility of registering a death;
Once you’ve got your appointment to register you will need to take the Medical Certificate with you. Below is further information the Registrar will require;
The Registrar will provide you with a Green Certificate. This is what we will be waiting for. It’s important that this goes to your Funeral Director. The only time you won’t get this issued is if the Coroner is involved and we are arranging a cremation. You will obviously get the official Death Certificate from the Registrar. This is usually to change any bank details/accounts and to go through probate. We would advise you to have an idea of how many copies you may need before you visit the Registrars. They do charge per copy, but if you need any more at a later date the cost increases. If the deceased was on benefits from the Department of Work and Pensions, then you should also get a certificate for Registration of Death. This will enable any benefits to be stopped or adjusted as required.
Once this is done you will have any relevant paperwork needed for myself to arrange a funeral for you. We would still strongly advise you contact us as soon as possible so we can help you with this.
The Coroner will be involved if the death is unexpected or the person who has passed away hasn’t been seen by their Doctor recently. In these cases, you should contact the person’s Doctor, the Police and the deceased nearest relative. If you don’t know the Dr or the nearest relative the Police can help you with this. After this, we would advise you to contact us. We will be able to communicate with the Coroner on your behalf to start arranging any relevant paperwork. It is important to know you can’t register until the Coroner gives you permission. If the Coroner decides to do an inquest then they will register for you at a later date.
The Police will liaise with the Coroner and arrange for the person who has passed away to be taken to the hospital. They will explain this to you at the time and tell you which hospital. A Coroners Liaison officer will then contact you to let you know what is going on, and to answer any of your questions.
It is important for you to know that through all of this, you can contact me at any point for any help or to answer any question you may have.