What to do when someone dies
For more information on the steps that need to be taken when someone passes away, please view the What to do when someone dies (PDF) information document.
When you lose someone, there are a mix of emotions but also responsibilities. Fortunately it is not something we have to deal with on a regular basis, and we can be confused on what we need to do on behalf of the deceased, and where we can get support.
When somebody dies, there are a few steps that those close to the deceased need to follow:
– If it happens at home and the death was expected, please telephone the practice or the out-of-hours services. If the event is not expected, the police needs also to be informed
– Get a medical certificate from your GP or hospital doctor (this is necessary to register the death)
– Register the death within 5 days. You will then receive the necessary documents for the funeral
– Make the necessary funeral arrangementsRegister the death
If the death has been reported to the coroner 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.
A death should be registered within five days (unless a coroner is investigating the circumstances leading to the death).
You can use the register a death page on the gov.uk website that will guide you through the process.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
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 The British humanist association website 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
– The funeral director will pay for ‘disbursements’ or ‘third-party costs’ on your behalf. This includes, 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.
Bereavement support
Talking Mental Health Derbyshire
Talking therapy is a way to explore your difficulties with a trained professional, sorting through your problems to get some relief from tension, have a safe place to explore how you are feeling, gain a new understanding of your problems and plan what you want to do to overcome them.
Phone
0300 123 0542
Website
www.derbyshirehealthcareft.nhs.ukNational Bereavement Service
The National Bereavement Service offers practical and emotional support to guide you through what needs to be done. They can introduce the bereaved to trusted partner organisations in both private and charitable sectors, as well as provide information on the statutory requirements following loss, such as the registration of death and probate.
Phone
0800 024 6121
Website
www.thenbs.orgEveryturn
Have you been feeling low, anxious, stressed, or unable to cope? Don’t struggle on alone, Insight are here to listen and to help.
Phone
0300 555 5582
Website
www.everyturn.orgTrent PTS
Trent PTS provide free therapy which includes counselling, couples therapy and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.
Phone
01332 265659
Website
www.trentpts.co.ukDerwent Rural Counselling Service
Derwent Rural Counselling Service are a charity committed to providing professional, confidential and empathetic therapy to anyone who asks.
Phone
0800 047 6861
Website
www.drcs.org.ukVita Minds
Vita Minds work in partnership with the NHS to provide mental and physical health services, work with the UK’s largest companies to help support their workforce and provide a full range of physiotherapy services to private customers.
Phone
0332 0153 496
Website
www.vitahealthgroup.co.ukBlythe House Hospice
Providing free care and services to anyone in our local community affected by life-limiting illness and bereavement.
Phone
01298 815388
Website
www.blythehousehospice.org.ukCruse Bereavement Care
Grief is a natural process, but it can be devastating. Cruse Bereavement Care are here to support you after the death of someone close.
Phone
0808 808 1677
Website
www.cruse.org.ukChild Bereavement UK
Child Bereavement UK help children and young people (up to age 25), parents, and families, to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies. They also provide training to professionals, equipping them to provide the best possible care to bereaved families.
Phone
0800 02 888 40
Website
www.childbereavementuk.orgChild Death Helpline
That’s why their helpline is operated by a dedicated team of volunteers who are all bereaved parents. If you’re a parent who has lost a child of any age, under any circumstances, and however recently or long ago, they’re here to help.
Phone
0800 282 986
Website
www.childdeathhelpline.org.ukGrief Encounter
One child in every UK classroom will experience the death of someone close by the time they reach 16 years old. Grief Encounter is here to help with the confusion, fear, loneliness and pain, providing a lifeline to children and young people to cope with free, immediate, one-to-one support.
Phone
0808 802 0111
Website
www.griefencounter.org.ukMacmillan
If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with cancer, Macmillan here to help. Find out how they support you and get information about different cancer types.
Phone
0808 808 00 00
Website
www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-supportriprap
In riprap, you can learn more about cancer and its treatment and through real stories you can read the experiences of other young people and share your own story.
Website
www.riprap.org.ukWinston’s Wish
Winston’s Wish support children and young people after the death of a parent or sibling.
Website
www.winstonswish.orgSands
Sands exists to support anyone affected by the death of a baby, to improve the bereavement care received by parents and families, and to promote research to reduce the number of babies dying.
Phone
0808 164 3332
Website
www.sands.org.ukThe Compassionate Friends
TCF offers many different kinds of support for bereaved families. Whatever the cause of your loss, wherever you are in the UK, and whatever your circumstances – they are here to help.
Phone
0345 123 2304
Website
www.tcf.org.ukSamaritans
Whatever you’re going through, a Samaritan will face it with you. They’re here 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Phone
116 123
Website
www.samaritans.orgWay Up
Way Up is a group with a positive, forward looking attitude to rebuilding lives and discovering that lives can be good again, that we can be happy once more. We all have our own stories to tell and experiences to share and need not be isolated.
Website
www.way-up.co.ukWidows Empowerment Trust
Striving to promote social inclusion in the lives of widows, widowers and anyone that has experienced bereavement.
Website
www.widowsempowerment.comWAY Widowed and Young
WAY is a UK charity that offers a peer-to-peer support network for anyone who’s lost a partner before their 51st birthday – married or not, with or without children, whatever their sexual orientation.
Website
www.widowedandyoung.org.uk
