First Steps

When someone passes away at home

If you lose someone at home and the death has been expected, the first thing you need to do is contact the GP practice, or district nurse who had been looking after your loved one.  They will come to the house to verify that the death has occurred.  Once this has been done you can call ourselves and we will attend, and bring your loved one into our care.

From here, the doctor has to complete some paperwork and forward this to the ME (Medical Examiner).  The ME will contact you, and then when the paperwork is complete, they will forward everything to the Registrar, who will make an appointment with you.  At the Registrar you will receive the Death Certificates.

When someone passes away in hospital

When someone passes away in hospital, the hospital will arrange the paperwork.  The Medical staff will verify the death.  They will arrange for the doctor to contact the ME (Medical Examiner).  The ME will then contact you, and complete the paperwork before sending to the Registrar. Please don’t worry, we will advise you throughout.

When someone passes away in a Nursing Home or Hospice

A nursing home or hospice may ask you to nominate your chosen funeral director.  Upon the death being verified, we would be contacted to collect your loved one and bring them into our care.  The necessary paperwork will then be raised by the doctor.  The ME (Medical Examiner) will then contact you to finalise the paperwork before sending this to the Registrar .  Please contact us and we will guide you through the process.

When someone passes away suddenly

If your loved one passes away suddenly or unexpectedly, you must call 999 for the police and ambulance.  Once death has been verified it is likely that your loved one will have to be taken to the coroners mortuary for examination.  This is the normal process and not to be alarmed at.  Once investigations have been completed, the coroner will release your loved one and funeral arrangements can commence.

In any of the circumstances above you can contact us, for advice and guidance and if you wish you can start making some arrangements.

Registering a Death

The death should be registered by a relative.

Or in some situations a close friend.

A solicitor or executor.

Manager of the care home, where the person died

If you are the person making the funeral arrangements.

It is a good idea to take some information regarding the deceased, some useful items are:-

• Birth Certificate
• Marriage Certificate
• Passport
• NHS number
• Pension Number
• Utility bill or Proof of address

(if you don’t have all of the above, just take what you can find)

Tell Us Once (TUO) service

Following the registration of a death several government departments and local services will need to be told.

Once the death is registered the registrar will issue you with a TUO reference number. You can go online or call the Department for Work and Pensions for free on 0800 083 7308. They will tell most government and local government departments that the death has taken place, on your behalf.

You have 28 days to use this service after registering the death.

You can find out more about the service from the Department for Work and Pensions: Tell Us Once – Gov.uk website

You will need to give the registrar the following information:

• The persons full name at the time of death
• Any names previously used, e.g maiden name
• The deceased’s date and place of birth
• Their last address
• Their occupation
• Full name, date of birth and occupation of a surviving or deceased spouse or civil partner.
• Confirm if they were receiving the State Pension or other benefits.

The Registrar will then ask you if would like the Green Cert (Certificate for Burial or Cremation) to give to the funeral director or they will email it to us.

The Registrar will then ask you how many copies of the death certificate you would like to buy.

Can I personalise my funeral for my loved one?

Yes, you can now have the funeral of your choice, either a celebration of someones life or a traditional funeral service. You are able to choose whatever music suits your family and loved one, you can have a celebrant, minister or even take the service yourself. We will discuss all your options and with you find the best outcome.

How do I organise a burial?

Burials are possible but as graves are becoming increasingly difficult to find, and you may not have your first choice of cemetery. We will work with you to try to find the best outcome. We will try to find out if you have an existing family grave that can be used. If not we will find out the options available to you.

I want a Green Funeral?

Green funerals are burials that take place in natural woodland or meadows, in areas that concentrate on encouraging flowers and wildlife and the natural beauty of the surrounding area. For a green funeral the coffin must be made of a natural biodegradable material, e.g willow, banana leaf, cardboard.

Does my loved one have to be embalmed?

No. This is not required and most of the time unnecessary. We will only request this in very extreme situations, ie. if someone has to be repatriated to another country it is then a legal requirement.

What happens to the flowers?

Flowers at a burial will remain on the grave, but at a cremation the flowers are taken to the garden of rest and after a few days will be disposed of. We actively encourage our families to take the flowers away or take them to a family grave or if you dont want them to be wasted we can always find a nursing home that will make use of them. The main point to be made is you have paid for them, and you can make use of them as you wish.