What to do when someone dies

When a loved one passes away in hospital, the nurses there will support you through the next steps. The hospital will issue you with a Medical Certificate and this will allow you to register the death.
If the cause of death is unknown, the coroner’s procedure will start to take place and you will be kept informed about decisions being made and any outcomes and findings.

Once again, please contact us to get help as soon as you need to.

Nobody ever wants to arrange the funeral of a loved one. But we can help make the arrangements easier and be by your side every step of the way. We pride ourselves on our conduct and care.

When choosing a funeral director, please ensure you choose a funeral director who is a member of Governing body, such as SAIF. This is so you have a funeral director who is governed and has a code of practice to follow. This ensures standards. 
You can find out more about our SAIF membership here.

When arranging the funeral you will need to bring the ‘Green’ for the funeral to take place, as well as a copy of the death certificate, but only if your loved one had a funeral plan or life insurance policy. 

We will walk you through every step at your own pace, and explain everything and anything that you may not understand.
There is no such thing as a strange request of question when it comes to a funeral. 

Due to current Covid-19 restrictions, the registration process has changed. Please find the link below to help you locate your local registry office. Once you have contacted them, they will discuss how their new procedures work.
The majority of registrations are conducted via telephone.

https://www.gov.uk/register-offices

Below is an outline of how registration process used to work, for your reference as this will give you some idea of the information and documentation required.

The person registering the death of a loved one can be a relative to the deceased, someone who was present at the death, the occupier of the house where the death occurred or the person responsible for making the funeral arrangements.

Once you have received the Medical Certificate, you can make arrangements to register the death. You will need to take the Medical Certificate with you.

If possible you should take the following documentation with you, but this is not essential, just helpful:
• Passport
• Birth Certificate
• Driving Licence
• Proof of Address
• Marriage or Civil Partnership Certificate
• If possible a Council Tax bill or Utility Bill
• If possible their National Insurance number as well as the surviving spouse or civil partner.

The registrars will be as helpful as possible, but the following will give you an idea of the information they require.
• The full name of the deceased
• Date and address the deceased passed away
• The address of the deceased
• Where and when the deceased was born
• Whether the deceased was in receipt of any government pension or benefits
• The details of the surviving spouse or civil partner
• Their occupation, or previous occupation if retired

The registration process will take around 30 minutes to complete. After this you will receive the following documentation:
• The Death Certificate, it is important to ask for additional copies of this as they will be required by any banks or insurance companies and will cost extra if you go back after this initial visit for extra copies.
• A Certificate for Burial or Cremation, often referred to as the Green Form, this is required by the funeral director to carry of the funeral so ensure this is delivered the them as soon as possible.
• A Certificate for Department of Work & Pensions. This can be filled in and returned to the Department of Work & Pensions to finalise any pensions or benefits the deceased was in receipt of.

Tell us once is a government service to inform several departments of the passing of your loved one in one go. This can save multiple contact to different companies and government departments in one.

Before you can use the Tell us once service, you will need the following information:
• Your Tell Us Once reference number
• The name of deceased as well as their date of death
• The deceased’s national insurance number
• Details of the next of kin
• Details of the person or company dealing with the estate.

You can find the Tell Us Once service by following this link: Tell Us Once

 Kent Coroners Office is contactable Monday to Friday, 9:00am – 5:00pm

Telephone: 03000 41 05 02
Email: KentandMedwayCoroners@kent.gov.uk
Address: Coroner Service Team, Cantium House, Sandling Road, Maidstone, ME14 1XD

You can also find more information about Kent Coroner by following the link here.