At Home:
When a death occurs at home there a few steps which must be followed, and we are on hand to give advice. However we cannot attend until a death has officially been certified, so give us a call and we will guide you through the process, which is outlined below:
• Notify the patient’s GP immediately – any time, day or night.
• Once death has been certified, call us when you are ready and we will arrange a convenient time to bring your loved-one into our care. This is normally within one hour.
In a Nursing Home, Care Home or Hospice:
Having an End of Life Plan in place is a great help; but If there is no End of Life Plan in place, contact us in advance to discuss what steps to follow when that time comes.
The home or hospice will contact you and inform you where the Medical Certificate of Death may be collected from.
If death is sudden, suspicious, accidental or unexplained the police should be called, they will arrange for a doctor to attend the scene. The deceased will be taken to the public mortuary where a post mortem examination will normally be carried out.
In Hospital:
Usually when Death occurs in hospital you will be required to arrange to collect the death certificate from the hospital. This is generally (but not always) via the Bereavement Office.
When someone dies in hospital, hospital staff will arrange for a doctor to issue the Medical Certificate Of Cause Of Death which you need to collect, along with any belongings from the hospital.
If the funeral is to be a cremation, please advise the hospital staff so they can make arrangements for any additional documentation that is needed.
Once in possession of the death certificate, you are now ready to make arrangements to register the death.