If Death Is Expected & Occurs At Home.

Contact the deceased persons Doctor.
The Doctor does not need to visit at this point but needs to know so that they can complete a notice of death certificate which you need to collect from their surgery/practice.

When you have the death notice you then need to register the death at the registry office in the district in which the person died so if you live in London but the death occured in Birmingham that is where you need to register the death unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Most register offices now require you to make an appointment to register a death so it is best to contact them before calling. Their numbers can be found in the community sections of the Yellow Pages or a similar publication and on district council websites.

The person who acts as informant to the registrar is usually the next of kin who must be able to provide all the information required such as the date and place of birth of the deceased and maiden name (If Female).
If there are no next of kin the informant can be the executor or nursing home manager for instance.

After registration you will be given a green certificate (unfortunately named the Disposal Certificate) this is to be given to your chosen funeral director, a funeral cannot be carried out without it.
You will also be given the death certificate. Copies of this are available at cost.

You will need a death certificate in order to claim from any insurance policy, bank account or state benefit.

If Death Is NOT Expected And Occurs At Home.

Still contact the deceaseds G.P but the doctor must report the death to the coroner for the area. This is done through the police who will usually attend at the scene. This can be distressing and they will ask some very alarming questions but don't worry, they are there to help you and will usually offer advice if required.

The police are required by law to gather information for the Coroner should it be needed in the event of an inquest into the death being held, they will also contact a local funeral company to remove the body to a hospital or public mortuary this is unfortunate but necessary.

The Coroners office cannot apportion blame, they liaise with doctors or hospital departments and gather evidence from medical records to ascertain why a person has died to enable them to give a cause of death and a post mortem examination of the body is usually carried out by a pathologist at the hospital the deceased was transferred to.

In some cases particularly where the death is suspicious this examination is conducted by a pathologist appointed by the Home Office.
Once a cause of death is established as not being suspicious the coroner will issue the necessary paperwork to allow the funeral to go ahead, in this case, the death is registered as normal but the death notice will be delivered to the register office on your behalf.
In the case of cremation, you will not be given a green certificate, the funeral director will have to collect a yellow certificate "E" himself to allow the funeral to go ahead or an internment order should the funeral arrangements be for burial of the deceased.

This process can take some time and can delay the funeral taking place, coroners offices operate very efficiently, they would not cause delay without a proper reason.

Unexpected/Sudden Deaths.

In the case of a death in tragic circumstances such as a work related or traffic accident the initial news is difficult enough to deal with alone and the funeral arrangements will be complicated by matters we wouldnt normally expect.
There will be lots of different authoritive agencies involved in the events and it is best to have close friends and family around for support during such an exceptionally difficult time.

In murder cases for example the body of the deceased may not be released by the hospital for a considerable amount of time. This is to allow the coroner and/or the police to carry out further examinations of the body when necessary or to gather evidence in order to prosecute those responsible where applicable.

If somebody dies during a routine operation and you felt that they clearly should not have, there may well be further examinations of the body made at another hospital by a different pathologist, this is to establish a cause of death and where necessary, provide vital information in case of any pending prosecution.

In many of these cases the coroner will issue an interim death certificate following a prelimernary inquest hearing to allow the funeral to take place. At a later date there will be an official inquest in the coroners court where all the facts of the death will be presented before a final decision regarding the cause of death will be given, death by mis-adventure is one of the most common causes for instance.

Your chosen funeral director should be able to assist greatly as they will be knowledgable due to their past experience, they will be able to advise accordingly regarding the viewing of the body or when the funeral can take place.

Some deaths will inevitably attract the attention of the media due to the public interest and this can cause dreadful feelings of intrusion on top of coping with the bereavement it is highly likely in these situations that you will need a great deal of support.

Due to the limited amount of space available on the site please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need further advice on personal situations not covered here.
I will answer as quickly as possible.