When a death occurs at home
The doctor will attend and confirm the death. The attending doctor will determine if the deceased may be released into our care or if the coroner needs to be informed. Once the doctor’s approval has been given to bring the deceased into our care, contact us so we can arrange a time to come to you.
When a death occurs at hospital
When a death occurs in a hospital, contact the hospital’s Patient Affairs or Bereavement Centre who will explain what happens next.
When a death occurs in a care/nursing home
If a death has occurred in a care/nursing home, the nursing staff will contact the doctor and arrange for them to confirm the death. The nursing staff will also call the funeral director nominated by the family to arrange the collection of the deceased and transfer into their care.
The coroner
If the deceased has not been attended by his/her doctor within 14 days or death occurs suddenly, then the death will be reported to the coroner for the area where the death took place. The coroner will have to establish the cause of death; this is normally done by a post-mortem examination. The deceased will remain under the coroner’s jurisdiction until the cause of death has been established and only then will the coroner release the deceased for the funeral to take place. The family will be assigned a coroner’s officer who will liaise with them throughout the process. The coroner’s officer will advise the family when they can register the death. The coroner’s court will issue the death certificate.
Registration
Registration of death must be completed within 5 working days of the death. Ideally this should be done as soon as possible. You will need to either contact the registry office in which the death occurred or if you live a distance away, you can contact your local registry office and register by declaration. Most registry offices will require you to make an appointment. The registrar will give you a certificate, also known as the green form, which we will need to have. It is not needed to make the funeral arrangements. Please feel free to contact WF Dolman and Son Funeral Directors either before or after you have the certificate.