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If your loved one passes away in a hospital or while receiving end-of-life care in a hospice, the medical professionals caring for them will handle all necessary arrangements.
After you inform them of the funeral director you have chosen, they will contact us when your loved one is ready to be collected.
If your loved one passes away at home, please contact their doctor, the out-of-hours GP service, or dial 111 to have a medical professional attend and confirm the death.
We are unable to collect your loved one until this confirmation has taken place. Once the death has been confirmed, we will attend and bring your loved one to our chapel of rest.
If you haven’t already, please inform your loved one’s GP of their passing.
If your loved one passes away in a residential care home, most care homes have an onsite nurse or doctor who can verify the death. If this is not the case, they will arrange for a medical professional to attend and confirm the death.
We cannot bring your loved one to our chapel of rest until the death has been confirmed. Once this has been done, we will attend and collect your loved one.
If you haven’t already, please inform your loved one’s GP of their passing.
Any medical practitioner who has cared for your loved one during their life can complete the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD). This will then be forwarded to a Medical Examiner (ME), who will review the certificate and contact the family to address any concerns.
Once the ME has confirmed the certificate, they will inform you when the death can be registered. At this point, you will have 5 working days to contact the local Registrar’s office to book an appointment and complete the registration process.
Please contact us once a registration appointment has been confirmed, so we can arrange a time to discuss and finalise the funeral arrangements for your loved one.
If your loved one passes away unexpectedly, the Coroner may need to be involved. In this case, the Coroner’s appointed funeral directors will collect your loved one and transport them to the hospital. These funeral directors work under contract with the Coroner, and you are under no obligation to use them for the funeral—they are solely responsible for transporting your loved one on behalf of the Coroner.
A Coroner’s Officer will be assigned to your case, keeping you updated on the progress of the investigation and informing you if and when you can register the death. Please note that a post-mortem may be required as part of the investigation.
If the Coroner concludes that no post-mortem is necessary, the case may be referred back to the GP or hospital. In this situation, a medical practitioner or doctor will complete the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD), which will then be reviewed by the Medical Examiner (ME). The ME will confirm the certificate, address any concerns with you, and inform you when the death can be registered. You would then make an appointment with the local Registrar’s office to register the death as normal.
If a post-mortem is required but no inquest is deemed necessary, the Coroner will issue documentation that replaces the MCCD and forward it to the registrar. The registrar will then contact you to arrange an appointment for registering the death.
If the Coroner decides an inquest is necessary, they will issue Interim Death Certificates. These certificates allow the funeral to take place. The MCCD is not issued or required. However, you will not be able to register your loved ones death until the inquest is complete, which may take several months.
We recognise that when you suffer a bereavement, not only do you wish to ensure that arrangements covering the funeral are dealt with in a sympathetic, efficient and dignified manner but at such an emotional time, the last thing you may wish to think about is all of the paperwork that has to be completed to settle their affairs.
In many instances, the need for professional advice is necessary to ensure that the correct allowances are applied for, bills are paid, returns to relevant tax offices are dealt with promptly, and any life assurances and pensions entitlements are correctly claimed. Settling an estate (a persons affairs) is generally referred to as ‘probate’.
With the above in mind, Valued Estates are in a unique position to provide impartial, discreet and completely confidential face to face consultations with our clients, covering all aspects of what to do when dealing with a deceased’s affairs.
Please contact Alec Smith at Valued Estates for more information:
01920 449700
Sometimes it’s easier to talk to someone outside of your friends and family about grief and the impact of bereavement on your life.
As a proud member of SAIF, all our families have access to their free bereavement support. They can offer a range of services to bereaved people over the age of 18.
Their support is available by freephone, email or online webchat with the option to be referred into counselling by webcam or face to face with qualified bereavement counsellors.
From registering a death to bereavement counselling.
Comfort, reassurance, freedom from worry and stress.
Dignified and fitting tribute to your loved one.
We can make a coffin or source one for you.
As an independent family owned business we are able to offer personal and sympathetic guidance through all the formalities of arranging the funeral for a loved one, either at our offices, or in the comfort of the family home.
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