At homeWhen someone passes away at home you must contact the deceased's doctor. They or the duty doctor will visit and confirm that the patient has passed away. Once this has been confirmed you should then contact us (we are available 24 hours a day) and we will make arrangements to bring your loved one into our care. The deceased’s doctor will issue a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death, this may not be available until the next day. You will need this to register the death.
At a nursing home
The staff will arrange for a doctor to visit. Once the death has been confirmed by a doctor, the nursing home will contact us to make arrangements to bring your loved one back into our care. The deceased’s Doctor will issue a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death, this may not be available until the next day. You will need this to register the death.
In hospital
The doctor, who attended the deceased, will issue a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. The Bereavement Office will contact you and will advise you when the certificate is available for collection and arrange an appointment to collect it, and any personal effects. You will need this to register the death.
When someone dies unexpectedly
If a death is unexpected or the deceased has not been seen by their doctor within the last 14 days, the coroner may become involved. It is the Coroner's duty to investigate all unexpected and sudden deaths. This may mean a post mortem examination is carried out to establish the cause of death and possibly an inquest, although this is not always the case. We will guide you through this along with the Coroner's officer. In some cases, the Coroner will refer the death back to the deceased's doctor and no further tests are required.
Registering a death
The death must be registered within 5 working days of the death. Following the death, if the doctor can certify as to the cause of death, The Medical Certificate of Cause of death will be issued. You will need to make an appointment with the registrar and take along the certificate. This will be exchanged for another certificate that is green in colour known as the Registrars Certificate for Burial or Crematorium. This certificate must be handed to us for the funeral to go ahead and will be forwarded to the Crematorium or Cemetery. If the death was sudden or a doctor has not seen the deceased during the last 14 days, the Coroner may need to be involved and we will get any paperwork we require directly from the Coroner’s Office. We will advise you along with the Coroner's officer on what you need to do regarding registering.
The registrar will also provide you with a Certified Copy of an entry in the Register of Deaths (white form). This certificate is often referred to as the 'Death Certificate' and you may need this for official purposes such as closing bank accounts, Will, pension claims, insurance policies, etc, all will need to see the original certificate. You are able to purchase as many copies of the certificate as you require. It is advised that you obtain these on the day as after the appointment the charge is increased. If you would like more information, contact us today. To make an appointment to register a death, please call the Hampshire Registration Service on 0300 555 1392.