Bereavement Information
WHAT TO DO IN TIMES OF BEREAVEMENT
Death is an inevitable fact of life but many of us never think about what we need to do when someone dies until we are faced with the situation. The following practical steps can be followed:
If someone dies at home
Phone the doctor who will probably visit to confirm that death has taken place and can advise you how to obtain the doctor's Certificate of the Cause of Death.
Also contact your local funeral director who will be able to advise you on registration and may make an appointment with you to discuss the funeral arrangements.
If someone dies on hospital
Contact your local funeral director to engage their services. Staff from the hospital bereavement office will advise you about collecting the doctor's Certificate of the Cause of Death.
In all cases of death
If your funeral director has not offered to do this for you, contact the registrar's office for the area where the death took place and make an appointment to see the registrar.
You will need to take in the doctor's Certificate of the Cause of death and the deceased medical card and birth certificate if possible. The Registrar will then issue you with a document which will allow the funeral to take place. This will need to be taken to your chosen funeral director when you make the funeral arrangements. If the Coroner is involved the procedures will be slightly different but your funeral director will be able to help and advise you.
Choosing a Funeral Director
Funeral directors charges and the range of services on offer can vary. It may be worth making a few enquiries before making a decision. An estimate of the funeral costs can be given in advance. Some funeral directors are owned by large corporate organisations but others are still run and owned independently and may be considered to give more personal attention and charge less for their services.
This information was kindly supplied by The Abbey Independent Funeral Directors Ltd, part of H L Hawes & Son Ltd and their details can be found here.
