What To Do When Somebody Dies
Immediate Actions (The First 24 Hours)
Immediate Actions (The First 24 Hours)
Before the death can be legally registered, a few critical medical and practical tasks must be handled.
A. What to Do Immediately When Someone Dies
The first action depends on the place and nature of the death.
- If the death occurs at home: if the death was expected, a healthcare professional will need to confirm that they have died. This will usually be a doctor (i.e. a doctor from the patients GP Practice) but may also be a district nurse or a palliative care clinical nurse specialist; so, you will need to call them first to verify the passing. If the death occurs outside of the GP practice's opening hours, you should call NHS 111 and ask for a suitable healthcare professional to visit the home and confirm the death. If the death was sudden or unexpected, please call 999. A funeral director will only be able to collect your loved one, once the death has been verified.
- If the death occurs in a hospital, care home, or hospice: The staff, such as a hospital administrator, will guide the family through the immediate procedures. The hospital will typically arrange for the person to be moved to the hospital mortuary.
B. Obtaining the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD)
This is the first and most essential piece of paperwork required to register the death.
A doctor who attended the patient must certify the cause of death by issuing a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD). As of 2024, this process involves a Medical Examiner - a senior doctor independent of the person's care - who will review and confirm the cause of death.
The Medical Examiner's office may contact the next of kin to explain the cause of death and answer any questions. Once approved, the Medical Examiner's office will electronically send the MCCD directly to the registrar in the appropriate district. The family does not need to collect this certificate themselves. The registrar's office will then contact the family to book an appointment for registration, or the family will be told how to book an appointment via an online booking system.
C. When the Coroner is Involved (A Different Path)
The process changes if the death is reported to a coroner. This is a legal requirement if the death was:
- Sudden, violent, or unnatural (e.g., an accident or suicide).
- The cause of death is unknown.
- The person had not been seen by a doctor within the last 28 days of their death.
- The death was due to an industrial disease.
The coroner will investigate the death and may decide a post-mortem examination is needed to find out how the person died. A coroner's post-mortem is a legal requirement and cannot be objected to by the family. If the coroner is involved, they will issue the necessary paperwork to the registrar. The family will not require an MCCD from the GP.
D. Arranging Care and Movement of Your Loved One
Once the death is verified (or the coroner has given permission), a funeral director can arrange to bring the person into their care. If the death occurred in a hospital, the person can remain in the hospital mortuary until a funeral director has been chosen.
E. Securing Personal Effects and the Home
In a time of shock, small practical tasks are easily forgotten. It is important to ensure the person's home is secure, arrange for the care of any pets, and secure personal belongings, especially if they are in a hospital or care home.