Help and advice about what to do following a death at home
A brief guide for bereaved relatives and friends
Lewisham District Community Nursing Team
On behalf of staff working at Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Trust we would like to extend our condolences on your bereavement.
This booklet provides information about what to do when a death occurs at home including help and advice for the first few days following the death.
This is a time of grief and sorrow but it is unfortunately also the time during which a number of matters must be dealt with. These can prove confusing and bewildering and the community nursing staff hope that this booklet will be helpful.
When the death occurs
When the death occurs you need to contact the patient’s GP to verify the death. If the death occurs during the patient’s GP surgery opening hours you need to contact the GP surgery and inform them of the death. The GP will arrange a time to visit with you to verify the death.
Below is space for you to write down the number of the surgery.
GP name
Surgery opening times
Surgery number
If the death occurs when the surgery is closed i.e. overnight or at the weekend or on a bank holiday you need to contact SELDOC on 0208 693 9066. A SELDOC doctor will arrange a time to visit with you to certify the death.
If the death occurs close to the opening time of the GP surgery you can contact the GP surgery when they open to tell them of the death and to ask them to visit to verify it.
Once you have contacted the GP to verify the death you should contact your preferred funeral director who will discuss with you the process of removing the body from the home.
Medical Certificate of Cause of Death
Before a death can be registered at the registry office, a doctor will need to issue a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD). Usually this is the patient’s GP. However, for patients who die of an industrial illness, for example Mesothelioma, the death needs to be reported to the Coroner. The GP will do this if it is required.
Medical Examiner Service
The Medical Examiner Service consists of Medical Examiners who are supported by Medical Examiner Officers.
A Medical Examiner is an independent consultant, senior doctor or GP who has not been involved in the care of the patient but will look at the admission and circumstances surrounding the death; they also ensure the information contained on the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) is correct and that referrals to the coroner are done in a timely and appropriate manner to avoid delays.
The Medical Examiner or Officer will facilitate the completion of the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) with the GP who has been looking after them.
The Medical Examiner or Medical Examiner Officer will contact a designated family member, to explain what has been written on the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. The Medical Examiner or Officer will not only enquire if you have any concerns regarding the care provided to your relative but also ask about positive experiences, the Medical Examiner Service will feed this back into the Trust, as your feedback enables departments to see what we are doing well and where improvements can be made.
The Medical Examiner or Officer will endeavour to provide answers to any questions you may have.
The Medical Examiner Team are available Monday to Friday 8am - 4pm and can be reached on:
Legally some deaths are required to be reported to HM coroner, if this happens a doctor will complete a report which is sent electronically to the HM Coroner’s Office, the bereavement office will advise you if the death has or will be reported. There are specific circumstances when a death is required by law to be reported to the coroner. Some examples of such circumstances are:
• The cause of death is unknown
• The death was due to self-harm, violence, trauma or injury
• The death was due to neglect, including self-neglect
• The death was due to an injury or disease attributable to any employment held by the person during the person’s lifetime
• The death was due to the use of a medicinal product, the use of a controlled drug or psychoactive substance
• The death was due to poisoning including by an otherwise benign substance
• The death was due to a person undergoing any treatment or procedure of a medical or similar nature
• The person’s death was unnatural but does not fall within any of the above circumstances
• The registered medical practitioner suspects that the person died while in custody or otherwise state detention.
When a death is reported to the office, the coroner will consider the information and do one of three things:
Give a doctor permission to issue a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death and then take no further action.
Order a post mortem examination. Depending on the results, the coroner will (a) find the death natural and close the case; (b) open an investigation, where further information is obtained from doctors and/or others; or (c) open an inquest, which is a factfinding court hearing about the circumstances of the death.
Open an inquest without a post mortem examination.
If the coroner has decided that the doctor can issue the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death the coroner will instruct the Medical Examiner to sign off the MCCD.
If a post mortem is necessary the coroner’s officer will explain why. Following the post mortem if the death is natural you will be informed of the cause of death and the documentation will be sent directly to the Registrar of birth and deaths. If an investigation or inquest is required either with or without a post mortem the coroner’s officer will inform you.
In some instances when an inquest, which is formal public enquiry into the cause and circumstances of a death, is necessary the death cannot be registered until after the inquest, but the coroner can give you an interim death certificate. When the inquest is over the coroner will tell the registrar of births and deaths what to put in the register and send the relevant paperwork to the registrar.
A coroner’s officer assigned will contact a designated family member to discuss the death and keep you informed of the coroner’s decision. The coroner’s officer is responsible for guiding and helping you through the process.
Contact details of HM Coroner’s Office for this area is:
Inner South London Coroners Office, 1 Tennis Street, Southwark, SE1 1YD.
Telephone number 020 7525 4200
Website www.innersouthlondoncoroner.org.uk
You can still contact a funeral director of your choice to start making arrangements for the funeral, but you should tell your funeral director that the death has been reported to the coroner.
Registering the death
The death must be registered with the registrar of births and deaths once the medical examiner’s office has spoken to the relatives and the certificate has been agreed.
The death must be registered within five days of the registrar receiving it (if it has not been reported to the coroner). However, if for any reason you are unable to attend the district where the death occurred, please contact your local registrar office for advice regarding the registration.
Please be aware that registering the death at a location other than that of the district/borough where the death occurred you will encounter a delay to the process.
You can book an appointment online at: https://lewisham.gov.uk/myservices/births-deaths-marriages-civilpartnerships-and-citizenship/deaths/registering-a-death
To make an appointment by telephone please call the priority booking line on 020 8314 9268 Monday - Friday 9am to 5pm.
Your appointment will be held at Lewisham Register Office, 368 Lewisham High Street, London SE13 6LQ
Register office opening hours are Monday and Tuesday 9.10am - 4.15pm, Wednesday 10.10am - 4.15pm, Thursday and Friday 9.10am - 4.15pm.
You can contact the emergency out-of-hours registrars service on 020 8314 6000. This service is for the issue of burial certificates required for a funeral that is to take place within 24 hours.
• The person who is arranging the funeral (not the funeral director). A person arranging the funeral should only register a death if there are no relatives.
What the registrar will need
• Medical Certificate of Cause of Death - issued by the certifying doctor. This will be emailed to the register office.
• Coroners post mortem form - issued from the coroner. This will be emailed to the registrar by the coroner’s office.
If available, please have the following to refer to in relation to the deceased:
• Passport or birth certificate
• Marriage or civil partnership certificates (if applicable)
What the registrar will ask you about the person who has died.
• Date and place of death
• First name, middle names (if applicable), and surname
• Any other names they were otherwise or previously known by
• Maiden name (if applicable)
• Date and place of birth
• Occupation and whether retired or not
• Address
• Details of spouse/civil partner
After registration has been completed
The registrar will issue:
• A Green certificate for burial or cremation - separate procedures apply where the death has been referred to the coroner.
• Unique number to access the Tell Us Once service.
• Death certificate – There is a cost for each certificate, and can be applied for online when booking the appointment, or at the office when you attend the appointment.
Copies of the death certificates are required when settling the deceased’s estate, it is advisable to purchase more than one certificate as they are often required for sorting out financial affairs such as insurance policies, pension claims or other purposes.
Tell Us Once service
Tell Us Once is a free service offered by HM Government. It enables you to report a death only once, telling central and local government services securely and confidentially without you having to inform them individually.
Many services can be notified and these include:
• The local council
• HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
• Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
• Passport Office
• Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)
• Public Sector or Armed Forces Pension Schemes
After you have registered the death the registrar will provide you with a unique Tell Us Once reference number, which will enable you to access the service online or via their telephone service.
Funeral Directors
It is a common misconception that you cannot contact the funeral director until the death has been registered. You do not have to wait until you have registered the death before contacting a funeral director. The organising of a funeral can be carried out as soon after death as you feel comfortable.
Your chosen funeral director will need the Certificate of Burial or Cremation, which the registrar will give you. If the death has been referred to the coroner the funeral director will liaise with the coroner’s office for you.
You may wish to approach more than one funeral director to get an estimate of their costs before making your choice; you will find that your chosen funeral director will be able to guide you in every detail in making funeral arrangements.
There are no universal standards applying to funeral directors but some are members of a professional organisation operating under a code of conduct.
The National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) and the Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF) are two examples of these.
Funeral director’s addresses and telephone numbers can be obtained from the internet and local telephone directories.
Help with funeral costs and bereavement payments
If you are finding it difficult to pay for a funeral that you have to arrange, you may be entitled to receive a funeral expenses payment from the Department for Work and Pensions providing you receive certain benefits. Information can be found via www. gov.uk/funeral-payments
You may also be entitled to a bereavement support payment (BSP) if your husband, wife or civil partner died in the last 21 months. Information can be found via www.gov.uk/bereavementsupport-payment
Information about the above payments along with additional information about other benefits, tax and state pension can be accessed via www.gov.uk/when-someone-dies or telephone the bereavement service helpline 0800 731 0469.
Who to inform of the death
There are various people, companies and other interested parties that need to be informed such as:
• Post Office/Building Society or Bank
• Social Security to cancel any pension, allowances or benefits
• Employer
• Solicitor/Accountant
• Pension or Life Insurance providers
• Insurance companies (car, house etc.)
• Inland Revenue
• Credit Card company
• Social Services
• Landlord/Housing Association or local housing department
• GP and any other hospital the deceased may have been attending
• TV Licensing
Wills and probate
If the person who died left a Will, they will usually have asked an executor to deal with their estate. If the person did not name an executor or did not leave a Will, an administrator will need to be appointed to deal with the estate. There can be more than one administrator.
Executors and administrators are also called ‘personal representatives. If you are entitled to deal with someone’s estate, you may have to apply for permission from the Probate Service to manage it. This permission is called ‘a grant of representation’ (or ‘probate’ for short). There are three types of grants issued by the Probate Service. The grant issued will depend on the circumstances of the case.
Types of grants:
Grant of ‘probate’
• One or more of the executors named in the Will
Grant of ‘letters of administration (with Will annexed)’
• An administrator, who is appointed by a court when the executors named in the Will are not available, not willing or not suitable to manage the estate, or if the Will does not name executors
Grant of ‘letters of administration’
• Administrators when there is no valid Will
You may be able to deal with someone’s estate without having to apply for a grant of representation. You should contact the organisations holding the property, money and belongings of the person who died, to find out if they need to see a grant before they release any assets to you.
You can apply for this yourself or use the services of a solicitor.
For further information or guidance contact the Probate and Inheritance Tax helpline telephone: 0300 123 1072 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) or www.gov.uk/browse/births-deathsmarriages/death
Returning community equipment
If a family member has passed away, when the time is right and you are ready to go through your loved one’s belongings, we can collect community equipment items free of charge. This will help your local NHS and social care services help others in the future, and will usually be collected within 5 days.
Further Information
After a few days you may find that you have a number of questions that you would like to ask about the death of your relative. Staff will try to help you as much as they can.
If you have questions about the medical condition or treatment received by your relative, it is important that they are answered by a professional with the relevant expertise. If this is the situation, please contact the GP responsible for your relative’s medical care. Some relatives find it helpful to do this two or three week after their relative has died when they feel more able to deal with their bereavement.
If the questions are about general care of your relative whilst at home, you should contact the community nurse via the single point of access on 020 8314 7777.
The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) are also there to support and assist you with any concerns you may have. They can be contacted on 020 8333 3355.
Access to Health Records
If you have any questions about access to medical records, then please contact the medical records department on 020 3192 6114.
Please note this service is only for records held within Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Trust.
Grief is a personal experience; the experience of loss can be upsetting physically, emotionally and socially. Reactions to grief are quite natural; it is important to remember this is not an illness.
You may find that you feel quite numb to begin with. It may be difficult to eat or sleep; you may lose energy, feel cold, strained, run down and as though nothing seems real. These are natural bodily reactions to shock and trauma.
At first it can be very difficult to believe that someone has died.
You may feel an intense longing to be with them. A common experience is to feel that they are still physically with you.
It is important to talk about the person who has died, especially important to include children and young people, as they will be experiencing similar feelings.
Your memories of the deceased - good and bad, are important. You may well find feelings of guilt and anger coming out. It can feel very disloyal to be angry with the one who has died and left you, but many people go through this experience. It may be that there is a conflict within your religious beliefs.
Very often people want to help you but feel awkward and many avoid you or feel unable to talk to you. If you feel able, let them know that you need them and their support. Remember that to express your feelings of grief is both painful and healing. Crying can be helpful.
There will be difficulties ahead; perhaps many months or years after the person has died, especially around special dates. When someone close to you has died it is really important for you to share your feelings with people you can trust.
Government website
The government website www.gov.uk contains a wealth of information on a wide range of subjects which you may find useful such as:
• Intestacy
• Find out who is entitled to a share of someone’s property, possessions and money if they die without making a Will
• Inheritance Tax
• How to pay inheritance tax: get a reference number, payment methods; use the deceased’s bank account, National Savings and Investments, government stock
• Telling DVLA about a bereavement
• What you need to tell DVLA if someone who was a driver has died
• Valuing the estate of someone who’s died
• When someone dies, you need to find out the value of the estate to see if inheritance tax is due - valuing the estate, reliefs, gifts, joint assets, stocks and shares, trusts and deductions
• Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
• Provides benefits and services for a wide range of people Telephone 0800 731 0469
Stopping unwanted mail
If someone you know has died, the amount of unwanted marketing post being sent to them can be greatly reduced which helps to stop painful daily reminders.
By registering with the free service www.stopmail.co.uk the names and addresses of the deceased are removed from mailing lists, stopping most advertising mail within as little as six weeks.
If you cannot access the internet you can call 0808 168 9607, where you will be asked for very simple information that will take only a few minutes to complete.
Support and Help
Lewisham Bereavement Counselling
• As well as advice and information, they provide confidential, one-to-one counselling to all bereaved people over the age of 18 living in the Lewisham Borough. www.lewisham-bereavement-counselling.org Telephone: 0208 692 6252
Cruse Bereavement Care
• Provides a nationwide service of bereavement counselling advice, information and social contact. www.cruse.org.uk
• Support for young people www.hopeagain.org.uk Telephone 0808 808 1677
Bereavement support for people of Islamic faith
• Eternal Gardens offers bereavement support and advice about funeral arrangements for people of the Islamic faith. www.eternalgardens.org.uk/bereavement-support/ Telephone: 0800 211 8569
The Coroners Court Support Service
• The Coroners’ Courts Support Service is a registered charity whose volunteers give emotional and practical support to families and other witnesses attending Inquests www.coronerscourtssupportservice.org.uk Telephone: 0300 111 2141
Samaritans
• 24 hour helpline for help and support on any matter.
www.samaritans.org Telephone: 116 123
Bereavement Advice Centre
• A national organisation offering advice on all aspects of bereavement.
• National charity for helping serving and ex-serving men, women and their families in need.
www.ssafa.org.uk Telephone: 0800 260 6767
MIND
• National leading mental health charity supporting individuals in times of bereavement.
www.mind.org.uk National Telephone: 0300 123 3393
The Silver Line
• Helpline for older people offering free, confidential information, friendship and advice.
www.thesilverline.org.uk National Telephone: 0800 470 8090
Counselling Directory
• A comprehensive database of UK counsellors, with information of their training and experience. A free confidential service.
www.counselling-directory.org.uk
Way Up
• Self-help group and support network for people widowed in their 50s and 60s.
www.way-up.co.uk
London Friend
• Supporting the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Community www.londonfriend.org.uk
LGBT Bereavement helpline Telephone: 0300 330 0630
Macmillan Cancer Support
• For practical support and advice www.macmillan.org.uk
Support Line Telephone: 0808 808 00 00
We wish to thank the advertisers and sponsors, without whom this publication would not have been possible.
However, Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust does not endorse any of the products or services they provide.
Publication: Lewisham District Community Nursing Team Bereavement Booklet
Publication date: July 2025
Review date: July 2027
The Hospital would like to thank RNS Publications for publishing this information and the following pages contain some features from services o ering their help at this time.
Whilst the Hospital is grateful of their support it does not endorse or recommend any of the services that they provide.
STOPPING JUNK MAIL
It is distressing to deal with a bereavement and unsolicited mail can be insensitive and destructive during a grieving process.
By scanning the below QR code on your phone or visiting www.stopmail.co.uk, we are able to securely share this information with mailing organisations and under the Data Protection Act the information will not be used for any other purpose.
Other benefits reduce the possibility of identity fraud, such as assumed identity and you will only have to supply the information once.
This publication has been jointly developed between ourselves and the hospital. We hope that it has been or will be of help at this time and we welcome any comments or suggestions that you may have.
Please contact us either by phone, email or by post.
