What Happens When Someone Dies?
In Hospital
If the death occurs in hospital, the hospital staff will contact the person named by the deceased as next of kin. This may be, but need not be, a relative. The hospital will advise whether it is possible for a doctor to issue the medical certificate, and when this will be available. If a doctor who has treated the deceased is unable to issue a death certificate the death will be reported to HM Coroner for that district.
Please note that hospital bereavement offices are usually only open during normal working weekdays.
At Home or in a Nursing Home
If the death was expected, contact the doctor who attended the deceased during their final illness, if the death occurred at a Nursing Home the staff will contact the doctor. If the doctor can certify the cause of death, they will forward a form called 'Medical Certificate of Cause of Death' to the Medical Examiner, whose role is to scrutinise all deaths which occur in the community. You will be contacted by The Medical Examiner in due course, who will ask some simple questions and forward the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death to the relevant Registrar. The Registrar will then be in touch to organise registration and death certificates.
Suddenly
If death is sudden or unexpected, you should contact the following people:
- The family doctor (if known)
- The deceased’s nearest relative
- The police, who will help find the people listed above if necessary.
If there is any reason to suspect that the death was not due to natural causes, do not touch or remove anything in the room. The death may be referred to the coroner.
For advice contact us as soon as possible.
The Coroner is involved
In any of the following circumstances the doctor may report the death to the coroner:
- An accident or injury
- An industrial disease
- During a surgical operation
- Before recovering from an anaesthetic
- If the cause of death is unknown
- The death was sudden and unexplained
For advice contact us as soon as possible.
Registering a Death
All deaths must be registered in the area where it occurred, although it is possible to give the information in another area. The process of registering a death involves a short interview with a Registrar in a Registrar's Office. The main registrar's offices in Doncaster, Worksop and Retford are as follows:
DONCASTER
Doncaster Register Office,
Civic Office,
Waterdale,
Doncaster,
DN1 3BU
Tel 01302 735222
WORKSOP
The Register Office,
Memorial Avenue,
Worksop,
S80 2BP
Tel 0300 500 8080
RETFORD
Notts County Council Offices,
Chancery Lane,
Retford,
DN22 6DG
Tel 0300 500 8080
Consultations with registrars are by appointment only and you must produce the relevant information and documents to register a death. Personal information about the deceased required includes their full name and address, their date of birth, details of location and time of death, and their occupation if applicable. If the deceased is a married woman, her maiden name is also required as well as her husband’s full name and occupation.
In the event a coroner is involved, the issuing of a death certificate can be delayed.
A death certificate may not be issued until the coroner has completed their enquiries. This can take some time and can have an effect on the funeral plans.
Only certain people can register the death. These include any relative of the deceased, any person present at the death, any person who lives in the house where the person died, or any person arranging the funeral, other than the funeral director.
On completion of registering a death the Registrar will issue you with paperwork to enable the funeral and death certificates at £12.50 each for estate administration.
