At home or a care home

If someone dies at home with an expected death, the GP (or a locum out of hours) will need to attend to certify death. Once they have done this, you can call us and we will arrange to collect your loved one and bring them into our care as soon as you’re ready. The area Medical Examiner (ME) will liaise with the GP and then the Registry office will call you with an appointment to register the death.

 

If the death at home or care home is unexpected or unexplained the GP and maybe the police will need to be called. In such cases, the Coroner will arrange for your loved one to be collected and taken into their care for further investigation.

 

In a Hospice or Hospital.

When someone dies in a hospice or hospital we have to wait for the death to be registered until we can bring them into our care. The Bereavement Office staff at the hospice or hospital will help you with this. The area Medical Examiner (ME) will liaise with the hospice or hospital and GP and then the Registry office will call you with an appointment to register the death.

 

 

Many Registry Office websites will tell you that the death must be registered within 5 days of death, however delays within the system mean this is unlikely, so don’t worry if it takes longer.

 

If the death is unexpected, unexplained or violent, the Coroner may be involved. In such cases, the Coroner will arrange for your loved one to be collected and taken into their care for further investigation. There may be a post-mortem examination or they may take a more detailed look into your loved one’s medical history. If there are further questions to ask or investigations to be made, a Coroner may decide to hold an inquest at a later date. You will be issued with an Interim Death Certificate that allows the funeral to take place without a long delay. The death won’t be formally registered until after the inquest.