Thinking about what to do when someone dies can be overwhelming. Here at localfuneral.co.uk we’ve made things simple by providing a step-by-step guide for you to follow. We’ll tell you how to get a medical certificate, take care of the body, register the death, arrange the funeral, inform authorities and agencies, and deal with financial arrangements.
After someone has died, it is necessary to obtain a medical certificate that confirms the cause of death. If the death was expected and has happened at home, seek professional medical assistance; a doctor (GP) or district nurse can sign the medical certificate. If the death occurred at a care home or hospital, the medical staff there will help to organise the medical certificate. This process is an important part of what to do when someone dies, as this officially confirms the deceased status of the individual.
The certificates are free and can usually be issued immediately unless the deceased’s cause of death is undetermined. In this case, a coroner in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or procurator fiscal in Scotland, is required to establish the cause of death before the death can be officially registered.
In cases where there is no doctor available to write a medical certificate but there are other medical staff present, they can confirm someone’s death via a temporary ‘verification of death’ which must be followed by an official medical certificate.
The doctor providing the medical certificate will also write a formal notice to say that the medical certificate has been signed and will give you advice on how to register the death. The death certificate – required to settle the affairs of the deceased - is a separate document that is only available after the death has been officially registered.
Once a medical cause of death certificate has been obtained from a GP or hospital doctor, the next step is to care for the body, an essential part of what to do when someone dies. The body is most often moved to a temporary place of rest, while the funeral arrangements are made.
If you need help urgently from a funeral director, we can help you find a local funeral director near you.
If the death occurred at home, it is possible to keep the body there and some people choose to look after the body themselves for a short while, allowing them to prepare the body for the funeral. In some situations, if the body is going to be at home for longer than a few days, embalming may be considered.
In the case of a sudden or unexpected death, where the authorities need to establish a cause of death, the body will be transported to a morgue. Once the cause of death has been established, arrangements can be made to move the body to the funeral home, or even a crematorium or cemetery if funeral arrangements have been made.
After the medical certificate has been issued and the body moved to where it will stay until the funeral, the next thing to do is to register the death. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, a death must be registered within five days. In Scotland, the death must be registered within eight days.
Typically, it is a relative of the deceased who registers the death. However, anyone present when the death occurred, the deceased’s legal representative or executor or anyone who has the information required can register a death. Registering the death of the individual is an important aspect of what to do when someone dies.
You must have a medical certificate stating the cause of death when you go to register a death. Take it to your nearest Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages along with the following information:
Full name (maiden name or any previous names if applicable)
Place and date of birth
Place and date of death
Last address
Occupation
Full name, date of birth and occupation of their spouse.
You can still register a death without the following documents but having them may ease the process.
Proof of address
The deceased's birth and marriage certificate
The deceased's NHS medical card
Documents relating to State pension or benefits.
Using the registrar in the area where the person passed away will allow you to receive any documents you need on the day from the registrar. It is generally recommended to make appointments to register deaths and it should take no longer than 30 minutes.
Once you have registered a death, you will be given two certificates. Both certificates will be required before you can complete funeral arrangements. The Certificate for Burial or Cremation gives permission for burial or cremation. The Death Certificate is required for the funeral to proceed, but also to begin settling the estate of the deceased. You can buy additional copies of the death certificates, needed for the will and any claims to pensions, savings or insurance.
After the death of your loved one has been registered, you can complete the funeral arrangements. People often include instructions for their funeral in their will or a final letter, but if the deceased did not explicitly plan their funeral before their passing, responsibility of arranging the funeral often falls to relatives or close friends. If you have engaged a funeral director to care for the body of your loved one, they can assist you with the funeral arrangements.
If you require the assistance of a funeral director, do not hesitate to call us on 0800 164 4214 (9am - 5pm, Monday to Friday).
The first thing to consider when arranging a funeral is the final wishes of the deceased. It can seem a little overwhelming to try to organise a service that reflects what your loved one wanted, but your funeral director can help. You may also want the assistance of a religious or spiritual adviser depending on the deceased’s personal beliefs.
There are many decisions to be made when arranging a funeral:
The style of service
The type of coffin
The venue
Flowers
Music
Readings
Who to invite.
Some of these decisions will have an impact on the final cost of the funeral and your funeral director will be able to provide you with their pricing information.
It is important to remember that the person who arranges the funeral is responsible for paying the final bill. Family members can choose to pay funeral fees themselves, the deceased may have a pre-paid funeral plan or money from the estate can be used in certain circumstances. Help with funeral costs is available if you are struggling to cover costs but there are strict rules in place about who is eligible to receive financial assistance.
There are many formalities to be undertaken following the death, with a number of authorities and agencies needing to be informed. Government bodies from pensions to passports, financial institutions and insurance providers, local authorities and landlords all need to be contacted. The task can seem daunting, but there may be some central services you can use to make it easier.
If it is available in your area you may be able to use the ‘Tell Us Once’ service to notify government organisations in one go. The services covered can include:
Local libraries
Electoral services
Council tax
Income tax
Department of Work and Pensions
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)
UK Passport Agency
If your local authority doesn't offer a ‘Tell Us Once’ service, you will need to contact these departments individually and return any documents that they require - driver's licences need to be returned to the DVLA and passports to HM Passport Office.
It is important to inform the deceased’s landlord of their death as soon as possible. If you were living with the deceased prior to their death and the lease is in their name, you must let your landlord know so that it can be updated. You will also need to contact any companies that you make regular payments to and change any bills to your name.
You must inform financial institutions where the deceased held accounts to put a freeze on any accounts and protect the deceased’s estate. These include banks, credit card companies, pension providers and insurers. It is generally easy to inform them, with a simple phone call usually being enough, although they will require further documentation before any monies can be transferred.
Registering with the Bereavement Register will allow you to ease the burden of dealing with the deceased’s post by arranging redirection if necessary.
Once the funeral has been arranged and the relevant authorities have been informed, it is important to deal with any outstanding financial arrangements. This can be a lengthy process, sometimes taking years to complete. The quickest way to a speedy resolution is to find a valid Will that appoints executors who can obtain a grant of probate that allows the estate to be administered.
Finding someone’s Will is important, with the original and most recent document required to carry out probate. It can be tricky to find, involving a search of deceased’s personal papers. If you cannot find the Will, you can pay a £40 fee to search the National Will Register. If a Will has not been made, and the deceased has died intestate, there are rules and guidelines that will be followed to establish who receives what from any estate.
An executor, or executors, must be established; typically, family or close friends of the deceased. The executor is required to sign key documents and help take the lead in coordinating probate. People nominated as executors in a Will may renounce their role if they prefer not to take on the responsibility.
If you are an executor you can choose to obtain a grant of probate yourself, or delegate the task to a solicitor. Doing this yourself requires applying for a grant of probate, by sending a form with the will and death certificate to the Probate Registry. Once the probate process is complete, all of the deceased’s assets will be bound together in a special bank account, before being finally paid out to the beneficiaries named in the Will.
Practical things to do after a death
First steps when someone has died
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