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  • Contact Us

What To Do When a Death Occurs

When  a death occurs the sad duty of making funeral arrangements often falls  to relatives or closest friends. Few of us have ever had to deal with  this before and it only human to feel anxious. 


Here  at Richard Williams Funeral Directors our aim is to make each funeral  personal, unique and representative of both the loved one lost and those  making the funeral arrangements. Full support and advice can be given  along each step before, during and after the funeral.

We hope that you find the information in this section  useful. This section is primarily designed for use around the time of  death when more immediate decisions are required and procedures  surrounding paperwork and appointments need to be considered.

The circumstances of the death will dictate what action needs to be taken and when;


When a death occurs at home

Relatives must contact the Doctor who attended the  deceased during their last illness. Sometimes the emergency Doctor has  to be called if the family Doctor is not available. The Doctor will then  come to certify that death has occurred and will issue a medical  certificate. (In most cases this certificate is collected by the family from the Doctor’s Surgery.) The certificate is then required by the  Registrar to register the death.

When the doctor has attended and the death has been certified, the relatives can contact us, and we will arrange for the deceased to be taken to our private Chapel of Rest.


Sudden death

When a death is sudden or unexpected you should  contact the deceased’s family Doctor (if known). If the Doctor is unable  to state the exact cause of death or issue a certificate, they will  report the death to the Coroner’s Office. The local police may then need  to take statements about the deceased from relatives. These statements  will be given to the Coroner. The deceased will be taken to the  Coroner’s Mortuary where a post-mortem examination may be held to  establish the exact cause of death. When the coroner has completed this  examination they will then issue a certificate for burial or cremation.


When a death occurs in hospital

If a death occurs in hospital the hospital will  contact the nearest relative. The deceased will then be taken to the  hospital mortuary until relatives have made funeral arrangements and  registered the death. If a cremation is required, the deceased will  remain in the hospital mortuary until Doctors have signed the necessary  papers, which allow a cremation to take place.

The hospital will arrange for the nearest relative, if  possible, to collect a medical certificate from the bereavement office  and the hospital. This will be in a sealed envelope addressed to the  Registrar stating the cause of death. This certificate is required by  the Registrar, together with the deceased’s medical card to register the  death.


When an inquest is necessary:

• The cause of death is uncertain after a post-mortem examination
• The death was violent or unnatural
• The death was caused by an industrial disease

An inquest is an enquiry into the medical cause and  circumstances of death. The coroner will arrange the enquiry in a way to  best serve the public as well as the interest of the relatives.

The death cannot be registered until the inquest has  been held. If a death certificate is needed by the family before this,  the coroner can (on request) issue an ‘interim’ death certificate. The  coroner will issue an order for burial or cremation to allow the funeral  to take place before the inquest.


Registering a Death

A death should normally be registered within 5 days unless the Coroner is investigating the circumstances surrounding the death.

It is preferable for a relative of the deceased to  register the death. If a relative is not available then the following  people can register the death;

• Someone present at the death

• The person making the funeral arrangements

• The occupier of the house where the death occoured

• An administrator of the hospital.

The procedure for registering a death is a simple  question-and-answer interview between the registrar and the person  reporting the death. The registrar will then issue a disposal  certificate (Green) which needs to be given to the funeral director  before burial or cremation.

Copies of the death certificate (White) may be obtained from the registrar for:

• Insurance purposes

• Probate• Solicitors

• Banks

• Post Office

• Savings Accounts, etc.


Documents required:

1 Medical Card,
2 Birth and Death certificate
3 N.I.Number
4 Pension book
5 Passport
6 Driving Licence
7 Blue badge
Which will enable the registrar to cancel up to 28 different organisations and government departments on your behalf. 
 

Information required by the registrar:
1. Date and place of death
2. Full name of deceased (maiden name if applicable)
3. Date and place of birth
4. Occupation and home address
5. If married, full name and occupation of surviving spouse


Certificates – issued by the registrar:
1. Disposal certificate for the funeral director
2. Social Security certificate to be sent to the Department for Work and Pensions offices with any pension books (BD8)
3. Certificates for banks, insurance companies and solicitors


Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any further help or assistance.

We are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.


Richard Williams Funeral Directors

8 The Square

Northam

Bideford

Devon

EX39 1AR

07825 917657

info@rwfd.co.uk

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