What To Do When Someone Dies

If a Relative Dies at Home or in a nursing home?

When a death which has been expected occurs at home or at a nursing home, the doctor who has been treating them should be contacted.  Provided they have seen a doctor (or medical professional) during their last illness, a doctor (or medical professional) will either attend to confirm that death has occurred.  We will then be able to bring the person who has died into our care, if it is your wish for this to happen.

When Someone Dies in Hospital?

If a relative who has been a hospital in-patient dies, the doctors who have been treating them will usually be able to issue the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. 

Most hospitals will give family members the opportunity to sit with their loved one before transferring from the ward or private room.  There may even be a chapel of rest at the hospital specifically for this purpose.  The deceased will then be taken to the mortuary from where they will be brought into our care once the hospital has finalised the necessary paperwork.

The Doctor Says They Won’t Issue The Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. Why is This?

If the doctor will not issue a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death it is usually because the circumstances surrounding the death mean it should be referred to H. M. Coroner for further investigation.  The doctor can only complete the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death if they know the cause of death.  The doctor cannot issue the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death if the deceased:-

1. has died a violent or an unnatural death;
2. has died a sudden death of which the cause is unknown;
3. has died in prison or in such a place or in such circumstances as to require an inquest under any other Act.

If the death does not fall into these criteria but the deceased underwent an operation shortly before death or there is a suggestion of a possible industrial disease, then it is probable that the doctor will not complete the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death but refer the death to H. M. Coroner in whose sub-district the death occurred.

If the death is referred to H.M. Coroner their office will arrange for the deceased to be taken to their mortuary in order that the death can be investigated and, if necessary, an inquest opened.

What Does His Majesty’s Coroner Do?

The office of H. M. Coroner dates from Saxon times and has evolved down the centuries.  Generally, H. M. Coroner has been, and is, one who acts on behalf of the Crown in legal matters connected with disaster and property rights, treasure trove, shipwreck and the like, thus leading to the investigation of the many deaths which occurred at such a time.  Having complete jurisdiction over all sudden and unexplained deaths was a natural extension of their powers, and this forms the main part of their work today.