In the unfortunate event that a person has passed away, there are three things that must be done in the first few days;
- Get a medical certificate from your GP or hospital doctor (this is necessary to register the death)
- Register the death within 5 days (8 days in Scotland). You will then receive the necessary documents for the funeral.
- Make the necessary funeral arrangements.
Register the death
If the death has been reported to the coroner (or Procurator Fiscal in Scotland) they must give permission before registering the death.
You can register the death if you are a relative, a witness to the death, a hospital administrator or the person making the arrangements with the funeral directors.
You can use the ‘Register a Death’ page on the gov.uk website that will guide you through the process. This will also explain the registration process for Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Arrange the funeral
The funeral can usually only take place after the death is registered. Most people use a funeral director, though you can arrange a funeral yourself.
Funeral directors
Choose a funeral director who’s a member of one of the following:
- National Association of Funeral Directors
- National Federation of Funeral Directors
- Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors
These organisations have codes of practice – they must give you a price list when asked.
Some local councils run their own funeral services, for example for non-religious burials. The British Humanist Association can also help with non-religious funerals.
Arranging the funeral yourself
Contact the Cemeteries and Crematorium Department of your local council to arrange a funeral yourself.
Funeral costs
Funeral costs can include:
- funeral director fees
- things the funeral director pays for on your behalf (called ‘disbursements’ or ‘third-party costs’), for example, crematorium or cemetery fees, or a newspaper announcement about the death
- local authority burial or cremation fees
Funeral directors may list all these costs in their quotes.
Useful Resources
Raynes Park Bereavement Service
Raynes park bereavement service provides free and confidential one to one support to people who have had a bereavement, recently or in the past.
Telephone: 07914 263420
Website: www.mertonconnected.co.uk/rpbs
Email: raynesparkbereavement@gmail.com
Survivors of Bereavement
Survivors of bereavement by suicide exist to meet the needs and break the isolation experienced by those bereaved by suicide.
Telephone: 0300 111 5065
Website: www.uksobs.org.uk
Email: email.support@uksobs.org
Wimbledon Guild Grief Support
Working together they help you to cope with your loss and consider what support is available.
Telephone: 020 8946 0735
Website: www.wimbledonguild.co.uk
Cruse Bereavement
Their mission is to offer support, advice and information to children, young people and adults when someone dies and to enhance society’s care of bereaved people.
Telephone: 0808 808 1677
Website: www.cruse.org.uk
Bereavement Advice Centre
Bereavement advice centre supports and advises people on what they need to do after a death. They welcome calls from bereaved people and the professionals and volunteers who support them.
Telephone: 0800 634 9494
Website: www.bereavementadvice.org.uk
Write: Bereavement Advice Centre, Simplify, Heron House, Timothy’s, Bridge Road, Stratford Upon Avon, CV37 9BX
At a Loss
AtaLoss is a charitable movement of people across the UK who are passionate about enabling the bereaved to receive the support that they need – in easing the pain together.
Website: www.ataloss.org.uk
Jigsaw4u
They are a pre and post bereavement service; so children and young people can have access to before the death of a close family member which helps with their grieving process when the person dies.
Telephone: 020 8687 1384
Website: www.jigsaw4u.org.uk
Grief Encounter
Are you a child, teenager or adult who has experienced the death of a loved one? Are you a caregiver who needs advice on how to support young people following the death of a parent or sibling? Do you need to talk? You can call, email or instant chat with trained professionals at grieftalk, 5 days a week, 9am – 9pm.
Telephone: 0808 802 0111
Website: www.griefencounter.org.uk
Email: grieftalk@griefencounter.org.uk
Marie Curie
Grief is a natural response to losing someone you care about. There’s no right or wrong way to grieve. Everyone’s experiences of grief are individual.
Support Line: 0800 090 2309
Website: www.mariecurie.org.uk
Sands
The objective of the project is to ensure that all bereaved parents are offered equal, high quality, individualised, safe and sensitive care in any experience of pregnancy or baby loss.
Telephone: 0808 164 3332
Website: www.sands.org.uk
Email: helpline@sands.org.uk