Things To Consider
There’s so much to think about when somebody dies, and it can be overwhelming to try and juggle the administrative consequences of bereavement whilst feeling the pain of loss.
Here, we’re going to run through the most important tasks you’ll have when someone dies.
Documentation
Getting all relevant paperwork in order is not only important for registering a death, it’ll help you complete your obligations quicker. The required documents are:
- Medical certificate of death
- The deceased’s marriage certificate and birth certificate
- The deceased’s NHS medical card
To supplement the documentation, there is some information required about the deceased:
- The date and place of their death
- The date and location of their birth
- Their full name (this includes a maiden name – if the deceased was widowed, the full name and occupation of her husband is required)
- Their spouse’s date of birth
- Their last address
- Their occupation
- Full details of any pension or benefits the deceased person was receiving at the time of their death
A death must be registered within 5 days of it occurring – please note, this includes weekends and bank holidays, it is not five working days.
If the person has died in hospital or a nursing home
When death occurs in a hospital or in a nursing home, the deceased can be moved to a mortuary, but a Removal Order is required before this can take place. The order can be obtained from the family of the person who has passed away.
You can collect the belongings of your loved one from the nursing home or hospital, and you’ll be given a medical certificate of their death; it’ll be addressed to the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Where there will be a cremation, a doctor will need to examine the deceased and provide a certificate that confirms that examination.
If a person has died at home
If the death was expected, the GP will need to attend the home to examine the deceased and provide a certificate stating the cause of death.* In the event of an unexpected death, the coroner will need to be informed, and the deceased will need to be taken to a mortuary for a post-mortem.
*If you do not have a contact number for your GP, an ambulance will need to be called.
If the death took place abroad
If someone dies abroad, it can understandably result in plenty of confusion as to what to do next. Firstly, the death must be registered as defined by the laws of the country in question. It must then be reported to The British Consulate; this will allow them to register the death in the UK as well.
We can assist in these matters, through our Repatriation services.
The Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages will need to be notified when the person returns to the UK – there is a Registrar for each district, so you must notify Registrar of the district where the funeral will be taking place. The reason for this is to allow them to issue a death certificate before the burial takes place – when a cremation is preferred, the Home Office will be notified.
Where the cause of death is unknown, the coroner of the relevant funeral district will need to be notified.
Feel free to get in touch with us if you have any questions.
Give us a call on 01672 511 836
