In Times of Bereavement

In the unfortunate event that a person has passed away, there are three things that must be done in the first few days;

  • Get a medical certificate from your GP or hospital doctor (this is necessary to register the death)
  • Register the death within 5 days (8 days in Scotland). You will then receive the necessary documents for the funeral.
  • Make the necessary funeral arrangements.

in times of bereavement

 

Register the death

If the death has been reported to the coroner (or Procurator Fiscal in Scotland) they must give permission before registering the death.

You can register the death if you are a relative, a witness to the death, a hospital administrator or the person making the arrangements with the funeral directors.

You can use the ‘Register a Death’ page on the gov.uk website that will guide you through the process. This will also explain the registration process for Scotland and Northern Ireland.

 

Arrange the funeral

The funeral can usually only take place after the death is registered. Most people use a funeral director, though you can arrange a funeral yourself.

 

bereavement

Funeral directors

Choose a funeral director who’s a member of one of the following:

These organisations have codes of practice - they must give you a price list when asked.

Some local councils run their own funeral services, for example for non-religious burials. The British Humanist Association can also help with non-religious funerals.

 

Arranging the funeral yourself

Contact the Cemeteries and Crematorium Department of your local council to arrange a funeral yourself.

 

Funeral costs

Funeral costs can include:

  • funeral director fees
  • things the funeral director pays for on your behalf (called ‘disbursements’ or ‘third-party costs’), for example, crematorium or cemetery fees, or a newspaper announcement about the death
  • local authority burial or cremation fees

Funeral directors may list all these costs in their quotes.

For free independent advice on bereavement issues, you can find more information at lastingpost.com.

 

Support Services

Cruse Bereavement Care

Family and friends can be good people to talk to but, for many reasons, you might want to find another sympathetic ear.

Our Bereavement Support Volunteers (BSVs) have experience of helping people through grieving; they have been trained to listen and help you work your way through the emotional work of grief.

FIND OUT MORE

Child Death Helpline

The Child Death Helpline is staffed by volunteers, all of them bereaved parents. They aim to provide a quality freephone service to anyone affected by the death of a child of any age. Callers to the helpline might be parents, grandparents, siblings, other family members, friends or involved professionals. The Child Death Helpline provide support not only at times of crisis but also for ongoing needs of callers over their lifetime.

FIND OUT MORE

 

SeeSaw

SeeSaw provides grief support for children, young people and their families in Oxfordshire. Through appropriate and timely support, SeeSaw can help to reduce the emotional, psychological and mental health consequences of bereavement. Young people are then able to face the future with hope.

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The Miscarriage Association

The Miscarriage Association is here to provide support and information to anyone affected by miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy or molar pregnancy.

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The Lullaby Trust

The Lullaby Trust provides emotional support for bereaved families, promotes expert advice on safer baby sleep and raises awareness of sudden infant death. They are committed to supporting research to understand why so many babies a year die suddenly and unexpectedly in the UK and to find out more about how to prevent these tragic deaths.

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Sands

Sands is the stillbirth and neonatal death charity.

We operate throughout the UK, supporting anyone affected by the death of a baby, working to improve the care bereaved parents receive, and promoting research to reduce the loss of babies’ lives.

FIND OUT MORE

 

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