Bereavement

If death occurs at home:

1. Telephone the surgery (if within our opening hours Mon-Fri 8.00am-6.00pm) who will visit to confirm that your loved one has passed. If it is outside of the practice opening hours, call the relevant care provider (999 if unexpected, 111 if expected)
2. Contact a funeral director.
3. The GP practice will issue the Medical Certificate of Death and email it to the Registrar’s Office.
4. The Registry Office will contact the next of kin to book an appointment.
5. The Registrar will normally issue a Green coloured certificate for the next of kin to give to pass to the funeral director who will look after the necessary arrangements for the funeral. The Registrar will also issue a white notification certificate for the DSS. They will also enquire as to the number of Certified Copies you require for dealing with the deceased finances (a fee is payable for each copy).

From January 2024 all deaths in the community will be reported to the Medical Examiners service. The Medical Examiner will contact you to discuss the recent care your family member had received. Once they have looked into the death they will allow the GP to issue the death certificate

If death occurs in hospital: 

1. Contact a funeral director to inform them
2. Collect the certificate from the hospital
3. The Registry Office will contact the next of kin to book an appointment.
4. The Registrar will normally issue a Green coloured certificate for the next of kin to give to pass to the funeral director who will look after the necessary arrangements for the funeral. The Registrar will also issue a white notification certificate for the DSS. They will also enquire as to the number of Certified Copies you require for dealing with the deceased finances (a fee is payable for each copy).

Leaflet - Information on the Medical Examiner Service

Below are bereavement support services available: