IF SOMEONE DIES AT HOME AND THEIR DEATH WAS EXPECTED

Contact a funeral director of your choice who will make the necessary arrangements for the deceased. Followed by a call to their GP practice and nearest relative (if that's not you). In most instances, the doctor will then issue a medical certificate that states the cause of death to allow the death to be registered.  The doctor will send the medical certificate to the Medical Examiner based at Warwick Hospital. The Medical Examiner will then contact the next of kin direct.  If the patient has not been seen within the proceeding 14 days, it may be necessary for the Medical Examiner to refer the death to the Coroner. The Medical Examiner will advise the next of kin.

IF SOMEONE DIES AT HOME UNEXPECTEDLY

Call 999 immediately and explain what's happened. If the cause of death is unclear or unnatural, for example as the result of an accident, or the person hadn't been seen by a doctor during their last illness, the death may to be reported to a coroner via the Medical Examiner. A coroner is a lawyer with the legal duty to investigate unexpected deaths (some coroners are also doctors). The coroner may call for a post-mortem examination to determine the cause of death. This may take some time, so the funeral may need to be delayed. You cannot refuse the examination, but you can tell them if you need to arrange the funeral quickly for faith reasons.

When someone dies unexpectedly, the police will also be called to do a routine visit. They'll ask questions about the circumstances of the death which may be used to help the coroner to understand the cause of death. This can be unsettling but it's important to remember that it's normal procedure in these circumstances

IF SOMEONE DIES IN HOSPITAL

The hospital will explain the steps you need to take. The cause of death will usually be checked by the medical examiner and then the medical certificate and formal notice will be issued. 
The body will usually be kept in the hospital mortuary until the relatives arrange for it to be taken to the funeral director's premises or taken home.

IF SOMEONE DIES ABROAD

If someone dies abroad, you should register the death according to the regulations of the country. A local death certificate can usually be used in the UK. However, if it's not in English, you'll probably need to get a certified translation if you're dealing with the person's affairs. You might also choose to register the death with UK authorities. To do this, contact the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). You can call them on 020 7008 5000.
   

Once a death certificate has been produced by the Doctor, it will get sent straight to the Medical Examiner and they will be in touch with the next of kin direct with advice about what happens and what to do next. If you need to contact the Medical Examiner for more information and guidance you can call them on 01926 495321.

FIND YOUR NEAREST REGISTer OFFICE

          The Registrar will require some information:

• The date and place of death
• The full name of the person who's died (and any other names they once had, such as a maiden name)
• Their date and place of birth
• Their usual address
• Their most recent occupation and if they'd retired
• Whether or not they were receiving any benefits, including State Pension
• The name, occupation, and date of birth of their spouse or civil partner, if they had one (even if their spouse or civil partner has already died).

If possible, you could also take the person’s:

• Birth certificate
• Medical card or NHS number
• Passport
• Marriage or civil partnership certificate
• Driving licence
• Proof of their address (on an electricity bill, for example).

Once this information has been provided to the Registrar you will:

• Request a certificate for a burial or cremation (known as a ‘Green Form’)
• Be given a unique code, so that you can use the Tell Us Once service to inform government agencies of the death
• Be provided with leaflets about bereavement benefits
• Request a death certificate, for which there will be a charge. This is a certified copy of what's recorded in the death register and is needed to be able to deal with the person's estate.  It is a good idea to pay for some extra copies of the death certificate, as they may be needed when sorting out the estate of the person who's died and copies requested at a later date may be more expensive. It's also worth noting that ordinary photocopies aren’t accepted by some organisations, such as banks or life insurance companies.

When someone dies, you must get in touch with certain organisations to let them know as soon as possible. If it's available in your area, you can use the TELL US ONCE service to contact several government departments about the death in one go, including:

• Local services such as libraries, electoral services and Council Tax services
• HM Passport Office
• The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)
• The Department for Work and Pensions
• HMRC for tax purposes. 

You'll need to return the person's driver's licence to the DVLA and their passport to HM Passport Office.

If your local council doesn't offer the Tell Us Once service, you'll need to contact these departments yourself. 

You may need to contact other organisations as well, such as:

• Personal or occupational pension scheme providers
• Insurance companies
• Banks and building societies
• An employer or trade union
• A mortgage provider, private landlord, housing association or council housing office
• Social services, if the person received community care
• Utility companies
• Their GP, dentist, optician and anyone else providing medical care
• Any charities, organisations or magazine subscriptions the deceased person made regular payments to.

You can register the name and address of the person who's died with the BEREAVEMENT REGISTER. This removes their details from mailing lists and stops most advertising mail. You can either register over the phone by calling 0800 082 1230 (the 24-hour automated registration line) or ON THEIR WEBSITE

If the person who died had a lasting or enduring power of attorney, this automatically ends when they die. The attorney should get in touch with the Office of the Public Guardian and send them the power of attorney document, any certified copies and a copy of the death certificate.

The Office of the Public Guardian's address is as follows:

Office of the Public Guardian
PO Box 16185
Birmingham
B2 2WH

The person who died may have left funeral instructions in their will or a letter about their wishes.

They may also have purchased a pre-paid funeral plan. This usually means that all the arrangements for burial or cremation have already been decided and paid for. The paperwork they have will tell you which funeral director to contact. 

However, if there aren’t any clear wishes, the executor of the will or nearest relative will usually decide if the body will be cremated or buried and what type of funeral will take place.

For a Cremation, the chosen Funeral Directors will contact the Medical Examiner and request a Certified Cremation Form as this needs to be completed before a cremation can take place.

What you need to do to deal with the estate – the money, property and possessions – of the person who's died depends on whether they made a valid will and, if they did, whether you're named as an executor in that will. 

If they did make a valid will and you've been appointed as an executor, then you'll need to apply for a grant of probate to deal with the estate. Probate is the legal process of distributing someone's estate after they die.

AGEUK HAVE MORE INFORMATION ON THIS