What to do when someone dies
Information on how to fulfil any legal requirements and guidance on the necessary paperwork.
From the 9th September 2024 in England and Wales, a new method of death certification has been introduced. Please be aware that some information you find online or elsewhere may be outdated. The following guide is in line with the new practice.
If someone dies at home
Take your time, there is no rush. If you feel up to it, you can get in touch with any other family members or friends who might want to come and pay their respects. Light candles, listen to some music. When you are ready, telephone your person’s surgery so that a medical professional can come and verify the death. In time the medical examiner or their officers will be in touch with you and will let you know when you can arrange your appointment to register the death. You can speak to your funeral director at any time for support and to arrange for them take your person into their care.
If someone dies in hospital
An attending practitioner will confirm a cause of death with the medical examiner’s office. The medical examiner or their officers will be in touch with you to talk this through and let you know when you can arrange your appointment to register the death. Your person will often be kept in the hospital mortuary and you might be able to arrange to visit them there even before you appoint a funeral director.
Unexpected death
If someone dies unexpectedly, or the circumstances around the death are unexplained, the death is reported to a coroner. A coroner is a doctor or lawyer responsible for investigating unexpected deaths. They may call for a post-mortem or inquest, which could cause a slight delay to the funeral. The coroner’s office will let you know when the body of your person is released for funeral arrangements and if and when you need to make an appointment to register the death.
Death abroad
If someone dies abroad, you will need to register the death according to the regulations of the country and get a consulate death certificate. Register it with the British Consul in the country too, so a record can be kept in the UK.
The GOV.UK website offers two leaflets which explain the practical support British consular staff can offer and what you need to do.
Speak to your Medical Examiner
Deaths in England and Wales are now scrutinised either by a coroner (for unexpected and unexplained deaths) or by a medical examiner (for all other deaths) before they are registered.
A medical examiner is a newly created role, fulfilled by senior doctors and their staff, operating from regional NHS offices around the country.
Bereaved families will be able to speak with a medical examiner or their officers and express any concerns they may have about the death.
The coroner or the medical examiner (or their officers) will let you know when you are able to make an appointment to register the death. Then we can arrange your meeting with us, where we can guide you through the necessary forms, and we will be able to arrange to bring your person into our care.
While everyone settles into the new system, you can trust that we’re here to support you through and to do all we can to ensure your experience is as smooth as possible.
Contact details for medical examiner offices for England and Wales can be found here.
For deaths in Brighton contact uhsussex.medicalexaminerbh@nhs.net or telephone 01273 523162.
Register the death
Once your medical examiner or the coroner have informed the registry office of the recorded cause of death you will need to book an appointment with a registrar to deliver the certificate, usually within 5 days. This process can be sped along by asking the registrar if they have any cancellations.
If it is difficult to attend the office in the district where the death happened, it is possible to register the death by ‘declaration’ at any register office in England or Wales. However, as the death will not be registered there, the funeral arrangements could be delayed if you choose to do this. Please note: that before the registration can take place, a death certificate issued by the doctor (or by the coroner, if there has been a post mortem) must be seen by the registrar.
Brighton and Hove registry office
The death must be registered at the registry office in the district where it occurred. If it happened in Brighton or Hove you should attend:
Brighton & Hove Register Office
Brighton Town Hall
Bartholomews
Brighton, BN1 1JA
An appointment system is in operation between 9.30am – 5pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & – Friday 10am – 5pm on Wednesday. To make an appointment follow this link, or telephone on (01273) 292016.
On Sundays and bank holidays, if you need to contact a registrar to arrange an urgent burial, you can do so between 10am-12 noon, by telephoning (07979) 648 227
Who can register the death?
- a person present at the death
- a person who is making the funeral arrangements
Other people may be able to register the death in certain circumstances. If you are unsure as to whether you can register, please telephone the registrar who will be happy to advise you.
When should I register?
You should usually register a death within five days. If the death has been reported to the coroner, or while the death is being processed by the Medical Examiner’s Office, there may be a delay. Again, if you are in Brighton and have any queries, you can contact the coroner’s officers on (01273) 665572, the Medical Examiner’s Office (01273) 523162, or the registry office on (01273) 292016.
What information will the registrar ask for?
- the date and place of the death
- the full name of the person who has died (and maiden name if the deceased was a married woman)
- his/her date and place of birth
- the occupation of the person (if the deceased was a married woman or widow, the full name and occupation of her husband)
- their usual address
- if the deceased was married, the date of birth of their surviving spouse
- whether the deceased was receiving a pension from public funds
- his/her medical card
Don’t worry if you don’t have all this information to hand, the registrar will support you through.
What documents will the registrar give me?
- a green form to take to the funeral director or to use yourself to book the cremation or burial. In some cases this will be issued by the Coroner
- occasionally a registrar may be able to issue a certificate for burial only (but never cremation) where no one has yet been able to register the death.
- a white form (called a BD8) for the DSS
These documents will be issued free of charge.
If you need death certificates (which are certified copies of the entry) you will be able to purchase them from the registrar. These may be required for:
- banks or building societies
- probate insurance companies
- stocks and shares solicitor
- private pensions
- post office accounts
If you do not purchase enough certificates at the time of the registration, further copies can be obtained at any time in the future.
Registering the death will provide you with the necessary paperwork for burial or cremation.
Arrange care of the body
It is worth considering that, especially when the death is expected, the best moments to spend time with your person might be just after they die. Allowing time and space at critical times can help those involved to begin to process what has happened.
When you are ready to have the body of the person who has died moved from the place they have died, we can collect them and bring them into our care to stay with us.
We have a calm space very close to Preston Park train station with excellent mortuary facilities, an at-rest room for visits, and a space for small gatherings. We can facilitate ritualised washing of the body here and employ gentle, natural body care techniques ourselves. We even have some studio space for creative tasks such as painting or decorating the coffin.
We can also offer support and advice if your wish is to keep the body at home ahead of the funeral and care for the body yourself.
Think about arranging a funeral
A funeral is about bringing people together to confront the sadness of what has happened, and then move forward collectively. Alternative funerals enable the loved one’s family to be a part of the final farewell.
In the immediate event of a person’s death, it can be helpful to give some consideration to funeral arrangements, but there’s no need to be too concerned with details right away. A funeral arranger can guide you through the options and processes.
To begin with, simply reflect upon the sort of event which would best represent the deceased. Think about funerals you’ve been to: What worked? What didn’t? Could there be an element of participation or creativity? How did your person live? How can this be reflected and discovered in the way we say goodbye?