Registering a death is important as it is a formal record of a death, and a funeral can only take place after the death is registered. Before you register a death, you will need to obtain a copy of the death certificate from your GP which will in turn by signed by a Medical Examiner. For more information see Registering a Death.
A medical professional will need to attend to verify the death. If the person has died at home during the night or when the person’s usual doctor isn’t available (for example during out of hours), you will need to call the NHS helpline 111 and an on-call doctor or senior nurse can verify the death for you. They will issue a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death which you will need to register the death.
Being told that there needs to be an inquest into the death of your loved one is a distressing and confusing time. You will likely have lots of questions and also want to know what to expect from the inquest process.
Inquests are usually held when a death certificate cannot be issued until an investigation has been carried out, to establish the facts needed for the certificate to be complete. The person who completes the investigation is called a Coroner.
An inquest will be held if there is reason to suspect that the cause of death is:
The Coroner will need to establish throughout their investigations who the person was, when they died, where they were and how they died.
During an inquest, there are parties called Properly Invested Persons or PIPs who take an active role in the investigation. They are often family members of the person who died, representatives of the establishment where the person died or those who were directly involved in the care provided to the person who died. It is normal practice for the PIPs to be legally represented.
Generally inquests are not heard in front of a jury, but there are instances where this is mandatory. Such as if:
Sometimes a pre-inquest review may need to be held, which is when the Coroner holds a hearing before the inquest with attendance from all the PIPs. The purpose is to determine any issues before the inquest which will have an impact on the hearing being held.
Typically, an inquest is held at a Coroner’s Court, which tends to look like an ordinary courtroom inside. The Coroner will be sat at the front with benches facing him or her where the legal representatives will be sat. If a jury is involved, they will usually be sat at one side with a clear view of the witness box. Family members of the person who died will normally sit behind the legal representative benches.
During the inquest, the Coroner and Jury if in attendance, will hear evidence from live representatives who attend at the court and any witness statements from those witnesses who are not present. When a live witness gives evidence, the Coroner will begin by asking them questions. Then legal representatives for the PIPs are permitted to answer relevant questions to aid the Coroner’s inquiry. If a jury is present, they are also permitted to ask questions of the witness.
Once the Coroner has heard from all the witnesses, they are then able to call upon witnesses to address any concerns that may have arisen, presenting cause for concern. For example, to ascertain if there is a risk of any further deaths occurring at the same establishment or under a similar circumstance.
A conclusion must be met at the end of an inquest. If a Jury is present, the Coroner will hear from the legal representatives as to what conclusions should be left for the Jury to consider. If there is no Jury, the PIPs will address the Coroner on what conclusion would be appropriate for the Coroner to reach in their investigation.
Possible conclusions could be one of the following:
It is also possible for the Coroner or Jury to return a narrative conclusion, whereby a paragraph is produced that factually describes the circumstances of the death.
The inquest ends with the Coroner or Jury completing a Record of Inquest and reading out their conclusions.
The average funeral is held between 13 to 16 days following the death, this timeframe takes into account all of the factors involved in organising a funeral, from obtaining official documentation through to scheduling time for officials and facilities.
It is common practice for some religious funerals to take place within a certain timeframe, where this is requested we will do our utmost to help with your arrangements.
We will work with you to ensure you have the funeral service suited to your needs and you should never feel under any pressure to rush through your arrangements.
Immediately after the death it can seem that you are having to repeat what is incredibly sensitive information, at a time of extreme heightened emotions, endlessly to a wide variety of people. It is helpful to make lists, group individuals and organisations into different categories and enlist the help of family and close friends.
The first step is to ascertain whether a will has been made. It may be being held by the family solicitor or bank, or may be filed amongst personal affairs at their place of residence.
If there is a will:
Depending on the circumstances, before the estate can be realised, assets distributed to any beneficiaries and any debts repaid, a Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration may be required. The will names the individuals who will act as Executors.
If there is no will:
The next of kin or a close family member must apply to the Probate Registry for Letters of Administration, which will appoint them as Administrators of the Estate. If you do not have a family solicitor to advise you, you may want to use a specialist probate solicitor.
If the deceased person had a passport, this should be returned to the passport office.
If you are concerned that there may not be enough money in the estate to pay for the funeral and you yourself also cannot afford it, do come and talk to us about this. There are public health services which may be available to you.
Processing the death of a loved one is an overwhelming time, not only are you coming to terms with their death, there are the funeral arrangements to be made and other administrative tasks to address such as organising and managing a loved one’s finances. To help you navigate we have produced a guide to help you address money worries following the death of a loved one.
When someone dies it is important to contact their bank or building society to ensure that their accounts are protected from fraud. Joint accounts are very rarely frozen and immediately become the property of the named joint account holder. Accounts just in the name of the person who died (sole name) will be frozen once the bank has been notified of the death. Someone who is an authorised signatory on an account should not carry out any transactions after the death, as the permission for them to do so ended with the death of the account holder. Aim to notify banks of the death within a week. Completing their other forms can usually wait a little longer and may have to become part of the probate process.
In this guide, find out how you can make a claim on life insurance as well as information on how to cancel/claim on other insurance policies of a dead loved one.
Find out how to cancel leisure and entertainment accounts, including Netflix, eBay and Xbox Live in our cancelling leisure & entertainment accounts after a death guide.
From announcing the birth of a child to uploading your wedding photo album, social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, have become a place where we share some of our most treasured thoughts and memories. But what happens to these accounts following the death of someone? Find out more about what happens to your social profile following your death.