What to do when someone passes away

Knowing what to do when someone dies is not something we are typically prepared for. However, there are a variety of tasks that need to be done following the death of a loved one, and depending on where the passing has taken place, there are different steps that need to be taken.

At home or in a care home

If your loved one has passed away at home or in a care home you’ll need to do the following steps.

Verification of death

The first call should be made to the deceased’s GP, they will be able to verify the death. This can also be carried out by a qualified attending nurse.

Contact our team

Once the verification has been completed, and you are ready for us to attend, please contact our team on 0191 386 3850, at any time of the day or night. We will then transport your loved one into our care.

Registration of death

The GP will be able to issue the Medical Certificate of Cause of death, which will be sent to the local registrar’s office. At this point you will be able to register the death.

Find out more about registering a death.

Start arrangements

At this point, you will be able to start arranging the funeral with our team.

In hospital

The hospital’s bereavement team will usually organise the medical certificate for you to register the death. Once you have notified us of the passing, we will be able to liaise with the hospital to arrange the documentation required for us to attend, and bring your loved one into our care.

Unexpected death

If someone dies unexpectedly the Coroner will be informed to investigate the cause of death, a post mortem examination may need to be conducted, however your coroner’s officer will discuss the steps with you. This can delay the funeral; however, we can still provisionally start funeral arrangements.

Death occurring abroad or elsewhere in the UK

Procedure will be slightly different if the passing has happened outside of the UK, however, we will guide you throughout and be able to coordinate with the authorities to repatriate your loved one into our care. We are also able to organise repatriation out of the UK. Please speak directly to our team for more information.