What to do first?
If the death occurs 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. They may, if they wish, request to see the hospital chaplain.
The hospital will keep the body in the hospital mortuary until the executor arranges for it to be taken away. Most funeral directors have a chapel of rest in which the deceased will be held pending the funeral. Hospital staff will arrange for the nearest relative to collect the deceased’s possessions.
If the death occurs elsewhere
Expected death
If the death was expected, contact the doctor who attended the deceased during their final illness. If the doctor can certify the cause of death he or she will give you the following:
- A medical certificate that shows the cause of death (this is free of charge and will be in a sealed envelope addressed to the registrar)
- A formal notice that states that the doctor has signed the medical certificate and tells you how to get the death registered
You may wish to contact the deceased’s minister of religion if you have not already done so. Arrangements for the funeral may be made by a funeral director.
If death followed illness from HIV or AIDS there may be special rules about handling the body. The Terence Higgins Trust can advise on funeral arrangements.
Unexpected death
If you discover a body or the death is sudden or unexpected, you should contact the following people:
- The family doctor (if known)
- The deceased's nearest relative
- The deceased's minister of religion
- 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.
If the death occurs abroad
If death occurs abroad, in Scotland or Northern Ireland or on a foreign ship or aircraft, there is a different procedure to follow.
Registration
If the death occurred abroad, Scotland or Northern Ireland or on a foreign ship or aircraft, you should register the death according to the local regulations of that country and get a death certificate.
Also register the death with the British Consul so that a record of the death will be kept in England. You will be able to get a copy of the death certificate from the consulate later or from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
If the death abroad occurred in circumstances which need investigating, or the information about the death abroad is incomplete and the body is brought to England or Wales, this must be reported to a coroner in the same way as if the death occurred in England or Wales.
Funeral abroad
You can arrange a local burial or cremation. The British Consul in that country can register the death and a record will be kept at the Overseas Registration Section. This avoids the expenses of bringing the body back.
Bringing a body back to England or Wales
You may be able to bring the body back to England or Wales. Most funeral directors should be able to advise you on the practicalities of the particular case and the likely cost.
There are several firms that specialise in repatriation. You will need the death certificate from the place the person died, or an authorisation for the removal of the body from the country of death from the coroner or relevant authority.
If the organs or body are to be donated
You will have to act quickly if it was the wish of the deceased or the nearest relative to donate the organs for transplant, or the whole body for medical teaching purposes.
The usual procedure is to approach the next of kin to make sure they do not object to organ donation.
If the death was in a hospital or similar institution, the head of that institution is lawfully in possession of the body. They may honour the deceased’s request, in writing or orally before two witnesses, for the body to be given for medical research, if there is no reason to think the request withdrawn.
If the death has to be reported to the coroner, the coroner's consent may be necessary before the organs or body can be donated. A medical certificate must be issued before any organs can be removed or the body used.
It is usual for kidneys, and essential for heart, lungs, liver and pancreas, to be removed from donors:
- Who have been certified to be brain stem dead and
- Whose breathing, and hence heartbeat, are maintained by a ventilator in a hospital intensive care unit.
Kidneys can, very rarely, be removed up to an hour after heart death. Other organs can be removed up to the following times after heart death:
- Corneas (from the eyes) - up to 24 hours
- Skin - up to 24 hours
- Bone - up to 36 hours
- Heart valves - up to 72 hours