When a loved one passes, there are legal practicalities as well as a funeral to arrange, normally in a few weeks. Our guide will steer you through the first steps, but our friendly team is also on hand to help.
– Simon Welham
There’s a lot to do when a loved one passes. Fortunately, most of us only undertake the practicalities of managing a death and planning a funeral a couple of times in our lives. But that generally means having to go through processes that are new to you at a time of emotional stress. But you’re not alone – our friendly experts are on hand to guide you at every step.
A medical professional must verify the cause of death before the medical cause of death certificate is issued, which will allow you to register the death.
“What needs to happen depends on whether the death was expected or not.” – Rebecca Welham
Call the deceased’s GP or senior nurse to come in person to verify the death.
At night, call NHS 111 to ask for an on-call GP or nurse.
Care home staff, if qualified, will certify the death or contact the deceased’s GP during the day or, at night, call 111.
A doctor or nurse will verify the person has died. The medical cause of death certificate will be issued either by the hospital doctor caring for the deceased or their GP, at a later stage.
The emergency services must be called. They will notify the coroner, who will contact the coroner’s contracted removal team to take the person who died into the coroner’s care. The coroner will then investigate the cause of death and, where necessary, issue the appropriate paperwork or refer the case back to the GP.
The coroner will be contacted to establish the cause of death. In some cases, an investigation into the circumstances of the death might be required. Where no investigation is necessary, the coroner will supply the appropriate paperwork for the registration and funeral to take place.
Sometimes a post-mortem examination will be necessary to establish the medical cause of death. Both the funeral director and the coroner’s office will keep you appraised of progress and can provide advice and assistance.
The coroner plays a part in investigating the cause of death in unexpected circumstances or if the GP cannot certify the cause of death.
Read moreWith only 10 working days in which to register the death in the UK unless a coroner is investigating the cause of death , you will need to make some key decisions. These are the steps you will need to take.
Contact your funeral director
If your loved one had a funeral plan that nominated a funeral director, inform them of the death. Otherwise, choose a funeral director recommended to you or with a good reputation locally. They will ask for information and arrange to collect your loved one and bring them into their care.
If you chose Welham Jones Funeral Directors, once we have taken the deceased into our care, we will contact you to offer advice, answer any questions and begin the process of arranging the funeral.
Obtain a medical certificate with cause of death
This is issued shortly after death, and will be issued by the doctor’s surgery or the Hospital Bereavement Department, at the behest of the Medical Examiner. This form is emailed directly to the local registrar.
For cremations the Medical Examiner will forward the relevant paperwork directly to the crematorium.
If the Medical Examiner cannot direct the doctor to certify the cause of death, they will refer the death to HM Coroner.
Register the death – required by law
In England and Wales, you must register the death of a person within 10 days at their local Registrar’s Office, although this is not always possible with current changes to the certification process. The medical cause of death certificate is emailed direct to the Registrar by the GP or hospital, but you will need to make an appointment with the Registrar, usually online. To book, you should be either the executor of the deceased’s will (often a relative), a person present at the death or a person arranging the funeral with the funeral director.
Welham Jones funeral arrangers can make the appointment for our clients that don’t have online access.
Take the necessary paperwork to register the death
The Registrar of Births, Marriages and Deaths will need a number of documents, or as much information about the deceased as possible.
It is helpful to take any of the following documents belonging to the deceased that you have:
Collect the official documents from the Registrar
The Registrar will provide a Certificate of Registration of Death (BD8 form) or ‘white form’, to be sent to the Department of Work and Pensions.
They will also issue a Certificate for Burial or Cremation (Form 9) or ‘green form’ authorising cremation or burial; they will email this to your funeral director, when you confirm which company you wish to use, to allow them to bring the deceased into our care and continue the process of arranging the funeral.
If the deceased’s estate needs to go through probate or if bank accounts and insurance policies need to be closed, pension schemes notified, post redirected, etc, a Certified Death Certificate is needed – whether you are carrying out probate yourself or have appointed a solicitor. There is a fee per copy for these, which is payable to the Registrar when registering. Usually, four will suffice as they can be re-used.
Notify the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP)
The DWP has a ‘Tell Us Once’ service that ensures any benefit entitlements are dealt with once you register the death. Simply call 0845 606 0265, or send back the form BD8 that will be given to you.
Check if a funeral plan was in place
Before paying for the funeral, check if the deceased had a funeral plan or an over 50’s life insurance policy. Ask family members or local funeral directors and check their Will and bank or insurance statements to find out.
Decide whether to bury or cremate
Whether you decide on a burial or a cremation depends on either religious beliefs, personal beliefs, whether you or your family already own a suitable grave and possibly budget. We provide further information on this here
Arrange the funeral
Book a meeting with your funeral director to choose the type of funeral you’d like for your loved one. They will provide you with an estimated cost and both parties will need to sign terms and conditions of business.
To register a death, you will need to make an appointment and see the Registrar. Some Local Authorities have a telephone booking line or an online form in which to do this. For ease we have listed those near our branches.
Registrar's offices
“Your funeral director will want to support you in your time of need and get to know your loved one as best as possible, to provide you with the best service and the perfect end-of-life celebration.”
– Simon Welham
ServicesWelham Jones has an experienced repatriation team. We can handle both the inward and outward repatriation of your loved ones to or from the UK or any part of the world, from any of our Kent branches. We can also repatriate cremated remains.
Repatriation servicesWe're here to help
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