What to do when someone dies

1. …AT HOME OR IN A NURSING HOME:

Telephone the doctor – When someone dies at home or in a Nursing Home the first contact should be with the deceased’s doctor. Then, either the doctor/locum doctor/paramedic will visit to certify the death. The deceased’s usual doctor, if satisfied with the cause of death, will issue the Medical Cause of Death Certificate. This is usually left either at the doctor’s surgery or occasionally at our Funeral Home for collection by the family. Please note the doctor can often take a day or so to issue the certificate.

Contact us…..immediately after the death has been certified, you should contact us. We provide a 24-hour on-call service and
will arrange to visit and convey the deceased into our care.

2. …IN HOSPITAL

The person in charge of the Ward will inform the Patients’ Affairs Office at the hospital that the death has occurred. The staff at this office will then liaise with the doctors who cared for the deceased during the stay in hospital. If satisfied with the cause of death, they will then issue the Medical Cause of Death Certificate which will be left – along with the deceased’s belongings – at the Patients’ Affairs Office for collection by the family. The deceased will be cared for by the hospital until the necessary paperwork is complete. Please note that the doctor can often take a day or so to issue the Certificate.

Contact us…..as soon as possible between the hours of 7.30am – 10.00pm. We will liaise with the hospital and arrange to transport the deceased into our care as soon as the necessary paperwork is complete.

3. …SUDDENLY OR UNEXPECTEDLY (Coroners involvement)

When someone dies unexpectedly it is normal for the Coroner to be involved. There are many reasons why this can happen.

For example:

• if the deceased hadn’t been visited by a doctor within the previous two weeks
• if they had been suffering from an Industrial Disease
• if they had been admitted to hospital less than 24 hours before they died, during an operation or shortly afterwards.

The Coroner could be involved even if it is a simple matter such as the deceased having broken a bone in the months prior to the death. The deceased is usually cared for by the Coroner until the paperwork is complete.

The Coroner will decide to take one of the following actions:

• Not to carry out a post-mortem and to issue a form ‘A’ which is sent to the registrar (when this is the case, the same procedure as when someone dies at home or in hospital will apply).
• Not to carry out a post-mortem but open and close an inquest.
• There will be a post-mortem after which one of the following 3 points will happen.
  • The paperwork is issued direct to the registrar for you to register;
  • There could be further tests to clarify the cause of death. Please note this can take several weeks or even months before the deceased can be released into our care, after which the paperwork is issued direct to the registrar for you to register;
  • There could be an inquest which following any necessary tests, is normally opened and adjourned so that the funeral can take place and then reopen at a later date.

Contact us…..as soon as possible between the hours of 7.30am – 10.00pm. We will liaise with the Coroner and arrange to convey the deceased into our care as soon as the Coroner issues their clearance.