What To Do If Someone Dies
When an expected death occurs at home
Step 1
If the death occurs at home, you should contact either the District Nursing team or your GP that your loved one is registered with. They will arrange to come out and verify the death. If this is not possible, call the NHS helpline on 111 they will also be able to help you.
Once the District Nursing team or GP has confirmed the death, they will provide practical advice on what will happen next and for you to contact your funeral director to arrange for your loved one to be taken into their care. When you are ready and you have said goodbye to your loved one, contact our team at Unique Funerals who are on hand and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on 0161 703 9944.
Step 2
The GP will share details about your loved one’s death with the medical examiner. The medical examiner is as an independent senior Doctor who scrutinises all community and hospital deaths in England and Wales. If there are any questions or concerns about the cause of death, the medical examiner will refer the death to the coroner, otherwise within a few days, the medical examiner’s office will contact you by phone to explain what the cause of death will be recorded as. This is your opportunity to ask any questions about the cause of death or concerns you may have
Step 3
Once everyone agrees the medical examiner will send the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death to the local register office. Contact your local register office to make an appointment to register the death. This usually needs to be done within five days of being contacted by the medical examiner and includes weekends, and bank holidays.
You can begin arrangements for the funeral for your loved at any stage including before you have registered the death.
When death occurs in a care home
If the death occurs in a care home, the care home will contact the Next of Kin if they are not already present. Usually, they will also contact the GP to come out to confirm the death. The care home will explain the circumstances of your loved one’s death to you. If there are any questions resting on the cause of the death, such as whether it was sudden or unexpected, they will refer the death to the police and the coroner otherwise, they will share the details with the medical examiner, Steps 2 & 3 above explains what will happen next.
When death occurs in hospital
When death is sudden or unexpected
In the case of a sudden or unexpected death, the first step is for a medical professional to confirm the death. Depending on the circumstances, that could be calling the doctor, or dialling 999 for the police, paramedics. The police in Greater Manchester no longer attend every sudden death at home and after taking an account from you, it is not uncommon for the police to advise you to contact your funeral director and arrange for your loved one to be taken into their care. Should this occur, contact our team at Unique Funerals who are on hand and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on 0161 703 9944. Steps 2 & 3 above explains what will happen next
If the police do attend and they decide that the cause of death is clear they will arrange for your loved one to be taken to hospital and inform the coroner of the death. The coroner will undertake their investigations, which could include a post-mortem. Once this has been completed, and the coroner decides no further examinations are needed, they will contact the Next of Kin, release your loved one into your funeral directors care and provide the documentation needed for the funeral to take place.
If the coroner decides an inquest is required, they will usually also follow the same procedure for the release or your loved one and provide the necessary documentation for the funeral to take place however, you can only register the death once the cause of death is known. The coroner will usually provide the Next of Kin a Coroner’s Certificate of the Fact of Death (known as an interim death certificate) this serves as proof of death to help with administrative tasks like closing bank accounts and applying for probate.