At the time of death
The circumstances of the death will dictate what action needs to be taken and when.
Hospital
Most people die in hospital and this usually takes any urgency out of the requirements; most hospitals have a mortuary where the deceased will be looked after while the family start to make funeral arrangements. If it is a large hospital, there will be an office that deals specifically with Medical Cause of Death Certificates and personal effects. Later on, the funeral director will liaise with the hospital and collect the deceased from the mortuary.
Nursing Home / Hospice
If the person has died in a nursing home (or any similar establishment), the officer in charge or Matron will need to know the family's choice of funeral director so that a reasonably prompt arrangement can be made for the deceased to be collected. In these circumstances the deceased's GP or another doctor will issue the Medical Cause of Death Certificate. It is possible, but unlikely that the Coroner may be involved; if this should be the case, the Coroner will arrange for collection of the deceased into his care and will deal with death certification later on.
Home
If the person has died at home, the family will need to call the GP to visit and confirm that death has occurred. One of two procedures may now follow. If the death is sudden or unnatural in anyway, the doctor will refer the death to the Coroner who will arrange collection of the deceased and perform an autopsy before issuing death certification. If the doctor is satisfied as to cause of death and that it is entirely natural, it is likely that he will issue the Medical Cause of Death Certificate and allow you to arrange privately for the deceased to be collected by a funeral director.
Public Place
If the person dies in a public place it suggests that it may be sudden and unexpected. It is almost certain that the Coroner would be involved in such a death and would arrange for collection of the deceased and perform an autopsy before issuing death certification.
What you need to know
In all respects, there are a lot of things to consider at this time, and you can download the principal considerations from this page. We can be contacted by telephone 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to guide and assist you.
The DSS provides a useful publication called 'What to do after a death', reference D49 in their publications. Please click here for more information.