What to do when someone dies
When a person dies, a medical examiner will check the cause of death to ensure its accurate.
They will be a senior doctor, who will not have been involved in the care of your loved one.
The medical examiner’s office will then contact you to:
- Explain the cause of death
- Answer any questions you may have about the healthcare provided to your loved one before they died
They will also confirm to you when they have issued a document called a ‘Medical Certificate Cause of Death’, and that you can register the death of your loved one.
This document is usually sent directly to the registry office on your behalf.
If the death of your loved one was unexpected or the medical examiner is unable to establish the cause, they may contact the coroner to examine further.
For guidance and support please call us on 01604 792284.
For those who die in hospital, this document is usually sent directly to the registry office on your behalf.
If the death of your loved one was unexpected or the medical professional is unable to establish the cause, they may contact the coroner to examine further.
For guidance and support please call us.
You will need to contact your loved one’s GP surgery as soon as possible to arrange for a doctor to attend and verify the death. The doctor will then communicate with the medical examiner regarding the ‘Medical Certificate Cause of Death’.
Once the doctor has attended, you and any other family members have said goodbye at home and any religious or cultural customs have taken place, you can call us on 01604 792284 and our experienced team will attend to convey your loved one into our care.
If your loved one’s GP surgery is closed, they may have an out-of-hours number for you to call. If not, dial NHS 111 who can advise you on what to do. When a medical professional has attended and verified the death, you and any other family members have said goodbye at home and any religious and cultural customs have been performed, you can call us on 01604 792284 and our experienced team will attend to convey your loved one into our care.
When the GP surgery is open in the morning, you can contact them to inform them of the death. If the attending medical professional left you any paperwork, you may need to bring it into the GP surgery. The doctor will then communicate with the medical examiner regarding the ‘Medical Certificate Cause of Death’.
Usually, a staff member at the care / residential / nursing home will notify the GP or on-call doctor and arrange for them to attend and verify the death.
If your loved one left a note in their file about Kevin Matthews Funeral Service as their preferred funeral director, after notifying next of kin and the attending doctor verifying the death, the care staff will contact us, and our experienced team will attend to convey your loved one into our care.
The doctor will then communicate with the medical examiner regarding the ‘Medical Certificate Cause of Death’.
The attending medical practitioner will communicate with the medical examiner regarding the ‘Medical Certificate Cause of Death’.
If your loved one has died at home unexpectedly during the day or night, contact emergency services. Police may attend and notify the coroner, who may decide to examine the death. If so, the coroner will arrange for your loved one to be conveyed to the hospital by their contracted funeral director.
During the course of the coroner’s involvement, they will ask you which funeral director you want to care for your loved one.
When you choose for Kevin Matthews Funeral Service to arrange the funeral, as soon as we receive official paperwork from the coroner, we will arrange to convey your loved one into our care.
If the death of your loved one happens outside of the county, we can guide and support you with arrangements to convey your loved one into our care.
We can also help you with the repatriation of your loved one, into and departing from the UK.
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