To facilitate the funeral arrangements, many people are understandably not sure what to do in the event of a death. We have detailed the following scenarios in order to give some initial guidance but please be assured we are available by telephone 24 hours a day 7 days a week should you require assistance or have any questions.

Expected death at home
When a person dies at home and the person is receiving end of life care, the first call should be to the deceased GP during GP surgery hours. If the death occurs outside of the GP hours you should call the end of life team you are using i.e. Hospice at Home or any other private care company. Once the death has been certified by the GP or end of life nurse, we can come and collect your loved one and take them to the Chapel of Rest.

Your GP will issue a Medical Cause of Death Certificate which we will collect for you and all the other relevant paperwork.

If the person passes away in hospital or nursing home the staff will notify you of the passing if you are not present. You will then call our team and we will take over from here.

When someone dies unexpectedly or has not been in regular care of a doctor the coroner will be involved. The coroner has the authority to order a post mortem, or after discussions with the GP, authorize the Medical Cause of Death Certificate to be issued and the coroner will no longer have any involvement. If the coroner requests a post mortem, once this has been completed and the paperwork issued (this sometimes can take up to 10 working days) the deceased will be released for burial or cremation and your funeral director will be able to collect all the relevant paperwork on your behalf to facilitate the funeral arrangements.