When a death occurs at home, the first contact should be with the deceased’s Doctor (GP).
The Doctor may wish to visit the family home or care home and confirm the death, this can also be done by a qualified person such as an attending nurse, manager or paramedic.
Once the death has been confirmed the Funeral Directors can be contacted to transfer the deceased to their Funeral Home. In the case of an expected death the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) will then be issued by the GP at their earliest convenience and sent directly to the Medical Examiner’s office.
Outside normal hours a duty Doctor may visit the home and give permission for the Funeral Directors to attend, however the MCCD will still be issued by the deceased’s GP once they have received notification from the duty Doctor and then sent to the Medical Examiner’s office.
Leach & Son are available to give advice on obtaining certificates and registering a death.
Please call 01686 626208 for assistance.
Most hospitals have their own Bereavement Centres with a designated Bereavement Officer. Their tasks will include obtaining the MCCD usually from the hospital Doctor and passing it on to the Medical Examiner.
It is usual for hospital bereavement centres to only be open during normal office hours, for this reason there may be a short delay in obtaining the necessary certificates.
Princess Royal Hospital Bereavement Office, 01952 641222 Ext 4741
Royal Shrewsbury Hospital Bereavement Office, 01743 261384
There are times when someone passes away outside of office hours, at weekends or bank holidays, which is why we are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days of the year.
When a death occurs away from home, maybe in another county whilst on holiday, procedures will differ slightly to those at home. Firstly, it may not be possible to bring your loved one home until a doctor in that area has issued the relevant documents. Should an MCCD not be issued then the coroner for the jurisdiction where the death occurred will be instructed to carry out his enquiries, this may include a Postmortem followed by an inquest.
Once documents have been issued, we will collect your loved one at the earliest opportunity. It is important to note that costs will increase due to time taken and vehicle running expenses only, charges are not made for bringing a deceased across county borders as many people believe.
In some instances, the deceased’s GP or hospital Doctor is unable to sign an MCCD and will refer the death to Her Majesty’s Coroner. The coroner has a duty to investigate all sudden, unnatural and suspicious deaths. The individual circumstances will determine the level of involvement the coroner has. In some cases, very little action is required and after a discussion with the deceased’s GP, permission is given for an MCCD to be issued.
Some cases will merit more involvement and require a Postmortem Examination to be carried out to establish the cause of death, and, in a small number of cases where the death is of unnatural causes an inquest will be necessary.
This inquest will be opened and immediately adjourned to allow the Funeral to go ahead, the Inquest will then be reopened at a later date when all the evidence and results are available. At all times during the coroner’s enquiries you will be kept informed of how things are progressing by a coroner’s officer.
Shropshire Coroner’s Service: 01743 258540
Powys Coroner’s Service: 01443 281101
Once the Doctor has issued their paperwork, it is sent directly to the Medical Examiner’s office. The medical examiner will then contact the next of kin to review the MCCD produced by the Doctor.
Once the medical examiner is satisfied with their findings they will send the relevant paperwork directly to the Registrar’s office.
Once an MCCD (or an equivalent coroner’s certificate) has been scrutinized by a Medical Examiner, the death can be registered. This should take place in the district where the death occurred within five working days of the registrars receiving the relevant paperwork. The death must be registered by a “qualified informant” who will attend the office to complete the registration.
A qualified informant is:
The registrar will issue a certificate for Burial or Cremation (green form) this is required by ourselves as soon as is practicable, to allow the Funeral to go ahead. Certified Death Certificates can be purchased from the registrar at the time of registration, these will be required by solicitors, banks, building societies and insurance companies. Further certificates are available at a later date but will cost more than at the time of registration.
It is possible to register the death in any registrar’s office in England or Wales however this will require the informant to make a declaration of particulars of the death. In these cases, it is important to note that this will cause some delay in making Funeral arrangements and setting a date.
Powys County Council, The Gwalia, Ithon Road, Llandrindod Wells, Powys, LD1 6AA
Register a death – Powys County Council >
There are times when someone passes away outside of office hours, at weekends or bank holidays, which is why we are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days of the year.