Recently Bereaved

First Steps

Reporting a Death

In a Hospital

If death occurs in a hospital, hospice, nursing home or retirement home, the medical staff will contact the next of kin. A medical certificate is issued by the doctor in charge of the patient, and this is normally collected by the next of kin.

At Home

In England, around 20% of deaths occur at home. If you are first to discover the body, contact a doctor — typically the person's GP (if known). The GP will confirm the person is dead and arrange for a medical certificate. If the first person aware of the death is not next of kin, they will need to contact the deceased's nearest relative or whoever is entrusted with handling the affairs.

Away from Home

When death happens away from home — for example, whilst on holiday — you will still need to seek out a medical practitioner to confirm the person is dead. If you are not the next of kin, get in touch with them without delay.

If the death occurred abroad, find out about the local procedures. Contact the local police or the British Consulate if you need advice. If the person had travel insurance, contact the insurance company — many policies include repatriation.

Moving the Body

From a Hospital

The body is usually moved to the hospital mortuary for collection after the medical certificate has been issued. Nursing homes and hospices will typically ask the next of kin or a funeral director to make arrangements.

From Home

The doctor who confirms death will advise whether the body can be moved. If the death was unexpected, the body may need to go to hospital for a post-mortem.

At Harry Tomes Ltd., we have six Chapels of Rest. After we move the body, there will be an opportunity to see your loved one again. Since the body is normally ready for removal within hours of death, please do not worry about contacting us at any time — day or night.

Registering a Death

The registration should, where possible, take place in the district where the death occurred. If the doctor or hospital did not tell you where to register, you can find your local registry office on Gov.uk.

Who Can Register a Death?

• A relative
• Someone present at the death
• An occupant of the nursing/residential home or official from the hospital
• The person making the arrangements with the Funeral Directors
• The person who found the body
• The person in charge of the body

Documents You Will Need

You must visit the Registry Office in person. Before your appointment, gather the following documents:

• Medical certificate of the cause of death, signed by a Doctor (unless the Coroner is involved)
• Birth certificate*
• Marriage/civil partnership certificate*
• NHS number/NHS medical card*
• Organ donor card (if appropriate)*

*Not strictly necessary, but helpful if available.

Information the Registrar Will Ask For

• The person's full name at time of death
• Any names previously used, including maiden surname
• Date and place of birth
• Last address
• Occupation
• Full name, date of birth and occupation of a surviving spouse or civil partner
• Whether they were receiving a state pension or any other state benefit

The whole registration process takes around 20–30 minutes.

Documents You Will Receive

The Registrar will issue:

• A Certificate for Burial or Cremation (the 'green form') — we need this before the funeral can be held
• A Certificate of Registration of Death (form BD8) — for benefit claim purposes
• Leaflets about bereavement benefits and income tax for a surviving spouse

The death certificate itself is a certified copy of the register entry. You will need to pay a fee for each copy — it is advisable to obtain several copies for insurance, pension, and probate purposes.