Useful Information
What to do when someone dies…
Step 1:
Verifying the death
When someone dies their death must be verified by a medical professional e.g. a doctor, nurse or paramedic. This process will depend on where and how the person has died.
If they died at home and their death was expected, you may have been given a number by the palliative care team to call or you can call their usual doctor or 111 if they have died at night and ask for the on-call doctor. You then need to contact your preferred funeral director who will arrange to bring the person who has died into their care once the death has been verified.
If they died at home and their death was not expected, you must call the emergency services on 999. They will inform the coroner and arrange for their on call funeral director to collect the person who has died. (You can ask that the police use your preferred funeral director provided that they are approved by the Coroner).
If they died in hospital, the hospital bereavement team will guide you through the next steps. You will need to contact your preferred funeral director to arrange to bring the person who has died into their care once the necessary paperwork is completed.
If they died in a care home or hospice and their death was expected, the staff will contact a medical professional to verify their death.; and they will contact your preferred funeral director on your behalf. If they have died unexpectedly the staff will call the emergency services who will inform the Coroner.
Step 2:
Establishing a cause of death
A death may be referred to the Coroner if the cause of death is unknown. This may result in further investigation including a post-mortem if needed.
If the death does not need to be referred to the coroner, the Medical Examiner service provide independent scrutiny of all deaths that occur in Wales and will work to ensure all parties involved and the next of kin, agree on the cause of death.
Once a Medical Examining Officer or Coroner have agreed on the cause of the death, they will arrange for the Medical Certificate Cause of Death (MCCD) to be issued which is sent on to the Registrar of the local authority area where the death occurred.
Step 3:
Registering the death
Once the Registrar has received the MCCD, they will make an appointment for you to register the death and obtain copies of the Death Certificate which you can pass on to the relevant authorities.
The Registrar will also offer you a service called Tell Us Once who will inform government bodies of the death on your behalf.
If the Coroner believes further investigation is required to ascertain a cause of death, they will issue an Interim Death Certificate to you directly in place of the Death Certificate.
The Registrar may also give you a Certificate for Burial or Cremation also known as a Green Form as it is green in colour.
You will need to pass this on to your funeral director although this is usually issued electronically and sent directly to your funeral director.
Step 4:
Planning the funeral
You can start to plan the funeral before the MCCD is issued or the death has been registered.
The person who has died may have left funeral instructions in their will or a letter of wishes; or if they had taken out a pre-paid funeral plan then they may have also nominated a funeral director. If you are choosing a funeral director, you can check if they are accredited with the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) or the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF) online or by phone.
Funeral directors have to provide a standardised price list so that you can compare costs and you can ask for an itemised quote before instructing them to go ahead with the funeral arrangements.
Most independent funeral directors can offer prices that compare to national funeral companies but their costs can vary greatly as well as the services they offer so please take your time to make the right choice for you.
Step 5:
Paying for the funeral
Arranging a funeral can be expensive. The funeral can be paid for by a life insurance policy or pension scheme or directly from the bank account of the person who has died.
The process to pay from someone’s own bank account for their funeral has been streamlined in recent years and avoids the need to go through solicitors or having to wait for probate as this payment cannot be refused.
The contact numbers for the relevant bereavement teams are included below. If you’re on a low income, you may be eligible for a Funeral Expenses Payment from the DWP to help cover costs.
If there is no money to pay for a funeral, the council (or hospital if the person died there), can arrange a public health funeral. Speak to your funeral director if you need any advice and to discuss their payment terms.
Useful Phone Numbers
- North Wales Medical Examiner Office: 029215 00699
- North West Wales Coroner’s Office: 01286 672804
- Gwynedd Registrar (Caernarfon): 01766 771000
- Anglesey Registrar (Llangefni): 01248 751925
- Ysbyty Gwynedd Bereavement Team: 03000 850 865
- HMRC Bereavement Helpline: 0300 322 9620
- National Bereavement Service: 0800 0246 121
- NAFD: 0121 711 1343
- SAIF: 0345 230 6777
Bank Bereavement Support Teams
- NatWest: 0800 161 5903
- Lloyds: 0800 015 0012
- Barclays: 0800 068 2238
- HSBC: 0800 085 1992
- Halifax: 0800 056 0171
- Santander: 0800 587 5870