If you have not had to deal with the death of a loved one before, the necessary arrangements can be quite overwhelming. We’ve outlined some basic guidance below which we hope you may find useful...

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Death in a hospital

The staff at the hospital will ensure a doctor issues the Medical Certificate of Death which you’ll need to collect, along with any belongings, from the hospital. If the funeral is to be a cremation, you’ll also need to inform the hospital staff so they can make arrangements for any additional documentation needed.

 

Death at home or in a nursing home

First of all, contact the deceased’s doctor who, if satisfied with the cause of death, will issue the Medical Certificate of Death. Dependant on the practice, you may need to collect the certificate from the surgery. If your loved one has died in a nursing home, generally the staff will contact the doctor to come and confirm the cause of death. You will need to contact the doctor separately about collecting the death certificate which is usually available from the doctor’s surgery.

 

As soon as the death has been confirmed by a medical professional, you can contact us 24 hours a day on 01604 620662, to ask questions and also to arrange for us to bring your loved one into our care.

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Unexpected death

If your loved one has not been under a doctor’s care on a regular basis, the emergency doctor will automatically inform the Coroner’s office. This is just a standard procedure and we can offer additional advice to guide you through. We understand that your loved one may not be in the Northampton area when they pass away, so whether in the UK or abroad, our team can help you bring the deceased back to Northampton.

 

Registering a death

A death must be registered by law, usually within the registration county or area in which it occurred and usually within 5 days. Under normal circumstances the doctor’s certificate stating the cause of death should be taken to the Registrar’s office along with the deceased’s medical card and birth certificate (if they are available to you). This is a relatively easy process, the Registrar will ask you some simple questions about the deceased – it normally takes around half an hour!

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In Northamptonshire, the central telephone number for all registrars is : 0300 126 1000. Please press Option 3. The lines are open Monday-Friday from 8am-6pm. If you would prefer to make an appointment via their website, please click here