What to do first when someone dies
This is likely to be a very distressing and emotional time for you.
Right now, the first thing you need to do is notify the relevant people to confirm the death. Our team at Bartholomew & Sons are here to support and guide you through this process. We will talk you through the steps to take below.
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What are the circumstances of the death?
After the death of a loved one, the first thing that needs to happen is for a medical professional to confirm and certify the death soon after it has happened.
The steps to take are slightly different depending on whether the death has occurred at home or in a care home, or at a hospital, and whether the death was sudden or unexpected.
The death occurs at home or in a care home
Step 1
If the death occurs at home your family will need to contact the GP that your loved one is registered with to come out and confirm the death. If this isn’t possible, call the NHS helpline on 111.
If the death occurs in a care home, the care home will contact the Next of Kin if they’re not already present. Usually, they will also contact the GP to come out to confirm the death.
Once the GP has confirmed the death, they will share details with the Medical Examiner, as an independent senior Doctor.
If there are any questions about the cause of the death, such as whether it was sudden or unexpected, they will refer the death to the coroner.
Step 2
When you are ready and you have said goodbye to your loved one, you can choose a local funeral director, and contact them to arrange for your loved one to be taken into their care.
Our team here at Bartholomew & Sons are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on 01709 363 706.
Step 3
You may now want to inform family and friends about the death of your loved one. It’s important to surround yourself with a good support network to help you through this difficult time.
Our team at Bartholomew’s will also be on hand to assist with any paperwork. Do not hesitate to give us a call at any time.
Step 4
Within a few days, the Medical Examiner’s office will contact you by phone to explain what the cause of death will be recorded as, or if the death needs to be referred to the Coroner. You can ask any questions about the cause of death.
Step 5
A Medical Examiner Officer will call you to tell you that they have sent the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death to the local register office.
You can now contact your local register office to make an appointment to register the death, which usually needs to be done within 5 days.
Step 6
You can now start to make arrangements for the funeral for your loved one. You can do this before you have registered the death.
We have detailed the steps that need to be taken to arrange the funeral here.
The death occurs at hospital
Step 1
If your loved one dies in hospital, the attending physician will confirm the death.
They will then share details with the Medical Examiner, as an independent senior Doctor, to review.
The hospital will contact the Next of Kin if they are not already present at the time of the death. They will explain the circumstance of your loved ones death to you.
If there are any questions resting on the cause of the death, such as whether it was sudden or unexpected, they will refer the death to the coroner.
Step 2
The next step is to choose a funeral director and arrange for your loved one to be taken into their care at the funeral home.
The team at Bartholomew & Sons are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on 01709 363 706.
Unless the death is being referred to the coroner, we will be able to collect your loved one from the hospital and bring them to our funeral home, where we will care for them until the day of the funeral.
Our team at Bartholomew’s will also be on hand to assist with any paperwork, and clarify any legal procedures.
Step 3
You may now want to inform family and friends about the death of your loved one. It’s important to surround yourself with a good support network to help you through this difficult time.
Step 4
Within a few days, the Medical Examiner’s office will contact you by phone to explain what the cause of death will be recorded as, or if the death needs to be referred to the Coroner. You can ask any questions about the cause of death.
Step 5
The hospital bereavement team will call you to tell you that they have sent the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death to the register office local to the place of death.
You can now contact your local register office to make an appointment to register the death, which usually needs to be done within 5 days.
Step 6
You can now start to make arrangements for the funeral for your loved one. You can do this before you have registered the death.
We have detailed the steps that need to be taken to arrange the funeral here.
The death is sudden or an unexpected death
Step 1
In the case of a sudden or unexpected death, the first step is for a medical professional to confirm the death.
The relevant authority will refer the death to the coroner. Depending on the circumstances, that could be the doctor, the police, paramedics, the hospital or the medical examiner.
Step 2
If the death occurred at home or in a care home, you will need to choose a funeral director and arrange for them to come and collect your loved one and take them to their funeral home.
It’s important to let the police, doctor or medical examiner know which funeral director you have chosen and they will share this with the Coroner.
Step 3
You may now want to inform family and friends about the death of your loved one. It’s important to surround yourself with a good support network to help you through this difficult time.
Step 4
The Coroner will contact the Next of Kin. If they decide that the cause of death is clear then they will notify the GP of the person who has died, who will issue the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. The Coroner will also issue a certificate to the registrar so that you can register the death.
If the cause of death is unclear, the Coroner could decide that a post-mortem and/or inquest is required. In these circumstances, they will arrange for the person that has died to be taken to the care of the Coroner.
Step 5
When you feel ready, you can start to make arrangements for the funeral.
However, if the Coroner has decided that a post-mortem and/or an inquest is required it will not be possible to set a date for the funeral until the Coroner has advised that the funeral can go ahead.
You can still start to make decisions about the type and style of funeral your loved one would have wanted. As well as thinking about the coffin, flowers, music and readings.
Our team at Bartholomew’s are here to help you through this difficult time.
Step 6
The Coroner will undertake their investigations and will include a post-mortem. Once this has been completed and the Coroner decides no further examinations are needed, they will contact the Next of Kin.
The Coroner will also register the death on the family’s behalf.
If there is an inquest, the Coroner will usually release the body once they have carried out their enquiries.
You can only register the death once the cause of death is known. However, the Coroner can give the Next of Kin a Coroner’s Certificate of the Fact of Death (known as an interim death certificate) so that you can notify the registrar of the death.
Step 7
If the death occurred at home or in a care home, the Coroner will contact your chosen Funeral Director.
If the death happened in a hospital, you will need to contact your chosen Funeral Director directly.
The Funeral Director will collect the person who has died and take them into their care at the funeral home.
At this point, a date for the funeral can be set and you can now start to make arrangements for the funeral.
Arranging a funeral
Our team at Bartholomew & Sons is here to help you through this difficult time.
We take the time to get to know you and your loved one, to help you create a funeral that is unique and personal. Whatever type of funeral you choose, we make sure it’s right for you, your family and your budget.
We’re here for you
At Bartholomew & Sons, we are here to help you through this difficult time. Our experienced team will help you step by step to ensure the necessary steps are taken to confirm and register the death, allowing funeral planning to start.
You can also rest assured that your loved one will be cared for in our funeral home until the day of the funeral as if they are a member of our own family.
Our funeral homes
We have funeral homes in Rotherham and Maltby and we serve all the local communities of Wingfield, Parkgate, Aldwake, Thrybergh, Dalton, Dalton Magna, Kimberworth, Templeborough, Brinsworth, Herringthorpe, Broom, East Herringthorpe and Flanderwell.
Let us help you
We are here to help you in every way we can. Call us or contact us with any questions. For urgent assistance, call us on 01709 363 706, we are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.