What to do after someone has died

Once a death has occurred, a doctor or other appropriate healthcare professional will need to see the body and verify the death.

People react in different ways to the loss of a loved one or person close to them. You might want to spend some time with them to say goodbye or you may want to leave the room straight away.

However you are feeling, here are things you need to do.

If the death occurs at a hospice or hospital

• You will be supported by staff throughout the above
• Usuallyadoctor or health professional at the hospice or hospital will verify the death.

If the death occurs at home

• During normal working hours: you will need to contact the patient’s GP surgery so that a doctor or appropriately trained nurse can come and verify the death.
• During the night: you do not need to contact the doctor until the following morning unless you want to.
• Equipment: any equipment that was being used (such as a syringe driver) should be left in place until it has been properly recorded that death has taken place.
• What to say: It is important to say if the death was expected and if the person had written an advance decision to refuse treatment (ADRT). The surgery will send either a doctor, appropriately trained nurse or a paramedic to verify the death.

Religious customs or preferences

If there are any religious customs or preferences that need to be observed, please tell any doctor or nurse who is present so that they can respect your wishes and those of the person who has died.

If, for religious or cultural reasons, the burial needs to happen quickly, you can get advice from the local Register Office or a funeral director.

 What happens next

• After the death has been verified, a doctor will need to certify it.
• The person will be moved to the chosen funeral director where they will be cared for while the funeral is organised.
• A medical examiner will confirm the cause of death, and then phone the next of kin to check they are in agreement and ask if there are any concerns.
• If the death has happened at Katharine House Hopsice, a member of our team will call the next of kin to confirm the registrar has received the medical certificate.
• The next of kin will then need to arrange an appointment with the registry or book an appointment online via Find a register office at GOV.UK by entering your postcode. You will then be able to make an appointment at the appropriate place.
• The appointment can be made by a relative, someone present at the death or the person making the funeral arrangements.

What information you will need when registering a person’s death

• Your relationship to the deceased
• Your full name
• Your usual address.

If a coroner is involved

• If there is a question about the cause of death, it may need to be reported to the coroner.
• This might result in an investigation to find out why the death occurred. In these circumstances, the coroner will provide a medical certificate for cause of death.
• If the death has been referred to the coroner, you will need to wait for the coroner to give permission before you can register the death.

Arranging for equipment to be collected

Unfortunately, equipment cannot always be collected immediately. Speak to the healthcare professional who arranged its delivery (the occupational therapist or district nurse) so that they can arrange collection. Alternatively, visit the NRS Healthcare page for returning equipment  or if you live in Oxfordshire call 01869 225420.

All unused medicines will need to be returned to a pharmacist for safe disposal.

Tell Us Once service

When you register the death, the registrar will also tell you about the Tell Us Once service. This service helps reduce the number of telephone calls you need to make to tell people and organisations about the person’s death.

It also allows you to inform central and local government departments of the death very quickly; this can be helpful to avoid overpayment of benefits and pensions.

The registrar will either fill in the Tell Us Once form with you or give you a unique reference number so that you can use the service online or by phone.

Read more about Tell Us Once on GOV.UK .

Related pages

• Arranging a funeral: there are many decisions to make when arranging a funeral and this article considers the key questions to ask yourself.
• Paying for a funeral: We look at who will pay for a funeral, describe the varying costs of and look at how you might get help to pay for one.
• Apply for probate: find out about the steps you need to take before, during and after you obtain probate.