About this booklet This booklet has been designed to help guide you on the immediate tasks that need to be accomplished following a death, assuming that you will be hiring a funeral director. There will be many different matters arising from a bereavement that may require your attention however your funeral director will be on hand to advise you of your responsibilities and the options available to you and most importantly, ensure you get the help you need. There is no legal requirement to hire a funeral director, so, if you are making preparations for the funeral yourself, without professional help, then simply ignore the references to funeral directors in this booklet, because they will instead apply to you. The booklet is divided into sections, each corresponding to the steps to be taken after a death and presented in the order in which they need to be handled.

This booklet has

been written in

association with

Fred Stevens

Funeral Directors

aka “The

Cotswold Funeral

Director”

Information for those facing bereavement

The very first steps after death: Hospital deaths: If the death occurs in hospital, the nursing staff will arrange for a doctor to confirm the person has died. They may also give you an information booklet detailing the procedures to be followed after a death in the hospital. Large hospitals invariably have a “Bereavement Office” or “Patient Affairs” department that takes administrative responsibility for all deaths occurring in the hospital and acts as the contact / liaison point for relatives. Deaths in nursing homes: In this instance the staff will arrange for medical confirmation of death. They will then contact your chosen funeral director to arrange for the body to be transferred. Deaths in your home: If you are at home, you should first contact either the deceased’s normal doctor or the surgery’s out-of-hours service. A doctor will attend to confirm the death, at which point you are free to contact your funeral director. All funeral directors operate a 24-hour call-out service to transfer the deceased, so if you’re anxious to have the body removed, you can request this at any time. However, many families find it helpful to have some time to say “goodbye” and aren’t in a hurry to have the body removed. If the death has occurred in the middle of the night for example, you may prefer to wait until morning. When you do contact your funeral director, they will advise you of what to do next and also how to go about starting to make funeral arrangements.

Useful Tip Although you can proceed with making funeral arrangements whenever you wish, the funeral itself cannot take place until the death has been registered.

Obtaining a Death Certificate &

Registering the Death Obtaining a death certificate: The term “death certificate” can be slightly misleading, so it helps to understand the process:

After a death, the doctor who attended the deceased during their final illness must issue a “Medical Certificate Of Cause Of Death” (MCCD). There are strict criteria governing whether a doctor can issue an MCCD – but in very basic terms the doctor has to have seen the deceased within 14 days prior to death and must be absolutely certain as to the medical cause of death. The criteria for issuing an MCCD: If the doctor hasn’t seen the deceased within 14 days prior to death, but is confident as to the medical cause of death, then they can discuss the case with HM Coroner for the district where death occurred and wherever possible, the Coroner will permit the doctor to issue an MCCD in the normal way. If the death was very sudden or completely unexpected, then the case will automatically be reported to HM Coroner and a post-mortem examination will be ordered. The Coroner’s involvement may sometimes affect the timescale for funeral arrangements and some procedures – particularly registering the death – may have to be carried out in a slightly different manner. Obviously, if the death occurred in unnatural circumstances, e.g. accident, apparent act of self-harm, etc. or if the death was in any way suspicious, then HM Coroner will automatically be informed. If the Coroner is involved your funeral director will explain exactly what to expect. Collecting the MCCD: For hospital deaths you would normally collect the certificate from the hospital’s “Bereavement Office” or “Patient Affairs Office.” For deaths in nursing homes or private residences, you must contact the doctor’s surgery direct and arrange to collect the certificate from there. It’s always wise to contact the surgery first to ascertain when the certificate will be ready for collection. Registering the death: Having obtained the MCCD, you must then take it to the appropriate local Register Office (i.e. the Registrar for Births, Deaths & Marriages), where you will then register the death and obtain the “official” death certificate (explained later on). Legally, deaths must be registered within 5 days, which includes weekends unfortunately. But in practice registration must be done as soon as possible. This is because there is one document from the Registrar that your funeral director requires from

you, as it needs to be submitted to the appropriate burial/cremation authority usually at least 48 hours prior to the funeral. Your funeral director will advise you of where and how to register the death, but you can also find information online. Registration Services are run by county councils and metropolitan borough authorities; so for example, for a death occurring in Cornwall, simply enter “Cornwall Registration Service” into an internet search engine and all the necessary information will come up. Likewise, for a metropolitan borough enter, for example, “Westminster City Council Registration Service.” You will almost certainly need to make an appointment with your chosen Register Office prior to visiting. Contact details, opening times and locations of your local Register Offices will be listed on the “Registration Service” page of the relevant county council or metropolitan borough website. When you attend the registration appointment, the Registrar will ask you for the following information about the deceased: 1. "Medical Cause of Death" (MCCD) certificate 2. Date and place of death 3. Usual address 4. Full names and surname 5. Maiden name 6. Date and place of birth 7. Occupation 8. Husband's / Wife’s occupation 9. Whether the deceased was in receipt of any Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) benefit 10. Age of surviving spouse You will also be asked for the deceased's Medical Card if it can be found however this is not essential for registration of a death. The Registrar will then issue the following certificates to you: 1) Registrar's Certificate for Burial or Cremation (the “Green Form”) This is a small green certificate which must be given to your funeral director as soon as possible, as it is passed onto the burial/cremation authority in order for the funeral to proceed. 2) Certified Copies of an Entry (In The Death Register). The Registrar will give you the opportunity to purchase - for a nominal fee - copies of the entry in the death register. These certified copies constitute the “official” death certificate and are used to administer the deceased's estate. You

are advised to buy at least two copies, regardless of the size or complexity of the deceased's affairs. 3) Form 344/Form BD8 for social security purposes. This form is used to inform the DWP of the death so that pension/benefits payments to the person who has died can be stopped. This form can also be used to claim Bereavement Benefits. 4) The ‘Tell Us Once’ service All local register offices now offer the ‘Tell Us Once’ system which enables you to report a death to most government organisations in one go. You will be able to use it at the time you register the death so you’ll need to take with you items like the deceased’s:

National Insurance number

Driving licence

Passport

Blue badge Please note: these certificates and their purpose will all be explained to you by the Registrar at the time of issue.

Useful Tip If you haven’t already started talking to your funeral director, now is the time to consider making funeral arrangements

Arranging the Funeral

When you first contact your chosen funeral director, they will talk to you about making an appointment to meet, either at their office or in your home, to discuss the arrangements. To help guide you, the principal points to be considered are provided below: The venue for the funeral service: Church / Chapel, Crematorium Chapel or other venue? Which of the following types of funeral service / ceremony would be most appropriate in your particular circumstances? a) A religious service (in which case, do you know which denomination the deceased belonged to?) b) A Non-religious (Humanist) funeral ceremony c) A Civil Ceremony (usually a combination of religious & humanist elements to reflect individual personal beliefs) Hymns / music: do you have any specific chosen hymns or music, or would a spoken service be

more appropriate. Is recorded music (of your choice) also to be incorporated? When burial is chosen: which Churchyard or Cemetery? Is it a new grave (single or double-depth) or the re-opening of an existing / pre-purchased plot? When cremation is chosen: are the ashes to be scattered in the Crematorium Garden Of Remembrance / interred in Churchyard/Cemetery / returned to the family for private scattering? Transport: will family mourners use their own transport, or would a limousine(s) be required? Also, is the cortege to start from a specific address or is everyone to meet at the Church / Crematorium? Choice of coffin: traditional wooden style, one made of eco-friendly natural materials, or a more individual bespoke style (e.g. picture finish coffin)? Will you wish to see the deceased in the Chapel Of Rest? Would you prefer the deceased to be dressed in their own clothes or should the funeral director provide a simple gown? Jewellery: if the deceased was wearing any jewellery, is this to be removed and returned to you, or is it to remain in situ? Rings can remain in place for cremation, but larger pieces of jewellery are better removed. Newspaper notices: are these required? Should they be placed in local or national papers? Donations in lieu of flowers? If so, which is your preferred charity? Family flowers: these can be ordered via the funeral director or you can approach a florist yourself. Are printed order of service sheets required, or do you wish to use the hymn books provided by the Church / Crematorium? This list is not exhaustive and there may be many small but vital details to be discussed according to individual situations. The important thing to remember is that the funeral director’s role is to ensure all aspects of the arrangements are discussed and that ultimately they best reflect your individual wishes and circumstances. Obviously funeral expenses are an important consideration and throughout the arrangement process you should be kept fully informed of

costs, but don’t be afraid to ask. Your funeral director should have a copy of their company price list available for you to see and an individual itemised estimate of expenses should be submitted after the funeral arrangements have been made.

Useful Tip When you have discussed the funeral arrangements, your funeral director will have talked to you about seeing the deceased in the Chapel of Rest. You might have questions or concerns about how the body is looked after.

Care of the Deceased For deaths in private residences or nursing homes, the body will be taken directly to the funeral director’s premises, where it will be cared for in a hygienic & dignified manner until the funeral. When death has occurred in hospital the body will initially be kept at the hospital and can only be removed by your funeral director once the relevant documentation (death certificate - and medical cremation documents if applicable) has been completed. A “Chapel of Rest” is normally used as a viewing room; the deceased will ordinarily be kept in a separate area within the funeral director’s premises which is where the dressing and preparation of the body takes place. Once the deceased has been transferred by the funeral director, there should still be plenty of opportunity to see them again if you wish. Indeed this is one of the questions your funeral director will ask you when making the arrangements. However, for the reasons explained above, it’s important to note that viewing the body is usually only practical once you have met with the funeral director to discuss the arrangements. This is because there will be matters such choice of coffin and clothing, which will be discussed as an integral part of the arrangement process. What about embalming? Many people ask what embalming is. It has absolutely no connection with the ancient Egyptians and is only called embalming because no-one has thought of a better term for it. Many funeral directors now use the term “hygienic treatment,” but embalming is still the accepted official term.

Basically it consists of an injection of preservative chemicals into the circulatory system in order to achieve the following aims:

temporary preservation of the body (if either viewing or the funeral itself is to be delayed, or perhaps if the body is being taken home again for a period)

embalming fluid contains colour dyes to subtly restore a more natural, lifelike appearance. However, the heavy use of cosmetics is not normally part of the treatment.

Embalming is an optimum measure rather than an essential one. Unless there are particular circumstances that make it an essential measure (e.g. repatriation abroad; delayed funeral), you do not have to have the body embalmed if you have reservations about it.

With special

thanks to

James

Baker at

Fred

Stevens for

making this

possible

Information for those facing bereavement