What to do after a death

Summary

If your relative dies in hospital, staff will contact you, lay out the body and arrange for it to be taken to the hospital mortuary. You will then be asked to arrange for the body to be collected by funeral directors, who will normally take it to their chapel of rest. At the same time, you will be asked to collect the person's personal possessions. Before a death can be formally registered, a doctor will need to issue the medical certificate of cause of death. A medical examiner checks this to make sure it’s accurate. Someone from the medical examiner's office will contact you to explain their decision on the cause of death. They’ll also answer any questions you have. The medical examiner will usually send the certificate to the Registrar of Births, Deaths, and Marriages. The Registrar will then contact you to arrange an appointment to register the death. You will also be given a notice, explaining how to register the death. There is no charge for either of these. A hospital may ask you for permission to carry out a post-mortem examination to learn more about the cause of death. You do not have to agree to this. In some cases, a doctor may not be able to issue a medical.

Key information

• •the cause of death is unknown or uncertain
• •the death was violent or unnatural (for example, suicide, accident or drug or alcohol overdose)
• •the death was in any way suspicious
• •the death took place in prison or police custody
• •before the 28th week, if this happened before 1 October 1992
• •utility companies - for example energy, water, phone, and internet
• •GP, dentist, optician and anyone else providing medical care
• •subscription services - for example Netflix
• •If your relative dies in hospital, staff will contact you, lay out the body and arrange for it to be taken to the hospital mortuary. You will then be asked to arrange for the body to be collected by funeral directors, who will normally take it to their chapel of rest. At the same time, you will be asked to collect the person's personal possessions.
• •Before a death can be formally registered, a doctor will need to issue the medical certificate of cause of death. A medical examiner checks this to make sure it’s accurate.
• •Someone from the medical examiner's office will contact you to explain their decision on the cause of death. They’ll also answer any questions you have.
• •The medical examiner will usually send the certificate to the Registrar of Births, Deaths, and Marriages. The Registrar will then contact you to arrange an appointment to register the death. You will also be given a notice, explaining how to register the death. There is no charge for either of these.

Practical guidance

• •Source: [What to do after a death](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/family/death-and-wills/what-to-do-after-a-death/)

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