What To Do When Someone Dies

A step-by-step guide to help you through this difficult time. You can call our team at any stage for support.

A Step-by-Step Checklist

We understand how overwhelming this can be. This guide breaks things down into clear steps so you know exactly what to do and when. Click each step for full details.

When someone dies, a medical professional needs to verify the death and issue a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD). How this happens depends on where they died:

At home (expected): Call their GP or senior nurse. If it's at night, call NHS 111. They will come in person to verify the death. You don't need to rush — you can take some time with them first.
At home (unexpected): Call 999 immediately. The emergency services will contact the coroner who will investigate the cause of death.
In hospital: The hospital medical team will handle this for you and issue the certificate.
In a care home or hospice: The staff will call a doctor to verify the death.

If you're planning a cremation, let the certifying doctor know as additional forms are required.

The medical examiner will send the certificate directly to the registrar and let you know when it's done. You will then have 5 days to register the death.

How We Can Help

If you're unsure what to do, call us at any time. We can explain what happens next and guide you through the process — even before you've decided on funeral arrangements.

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