When someone dies, a trained healthcare professional needs to verify the death to confirm that the person has died. This is known as 'formal verification of death'. A doctor also needs to certify the death by completing a medical certificate of cause of death.
Verifying the death
A trained healthcare professional verifies the death by doing certain checks to make sure that the person has died. It is called 'confirmation of death' in Scotland. If the person died at home, these checks will usually be done by a GP or registered nurse.
If a healthcare professional is already with you, they may be able to verify the death. If not, you will need to call the GP practice. They will explain what you need to do next.
If the person dies in the evening, at night, at the weekend or on a Bank Holiday, call the GP practice and you'll be given a number to phone for a doctor.
If a Marie Curie Nurse or other healthcare professional is there when the person dies, they will check the person's care plan. They will then know if the GP needs to be called or if other arrangements are in place.
Some Marie Curie Nurses are trained to verify a death in a person's home. If they cannot do this, they can help you contact the GP or district nurse.
Getting a medical certificate
A doctor will need to certify the death. It will usually be a doctor who saw the person recently, but in England and Wales it can be one who’s seen them in their lifetime. They'll complete a medical certificate of cause of death if the death was expected and they're sure it was from natural causes.
Sometimes a doctor will verify and certify the death at the same time. But if the person who verifies the death is unable to certify it, a doctor will need to complete the medical certificate of cause of death. If the person's body is with a funeral director, they can see it there.
In England and Wales, the doctor shares the medical certificate of cause of death with a medical examiner for review. Their office will contact you to discuss the cause of death and to ask if you had any concerns about the care provided. They will submit the medical certificate of cause of death to the registrar.
In Scotland, the doctor submits the medical certificate of cause of death to the registrar. The Death Certification Review Service randomly reviews a proportion of the submitted certificates. 15A medical examiner system is being trialled in hospitals in Northern Ireland.
If the death is referred to the coroner
The GP might need to report the death to:
- the coroner if you're in England, Wales or Northern Ireland
- the procurator fiscal if you're in Scotland.
This may happen if the death was sudden or unexpected or if it may have been related to their work.
Try not to worry if the death is reported to the coroner. The coroner may decide that the cause of death is clear and there will be no further investigation. Or they might investigate why and when the death occurred, potentially doing a post-mortem. If you have concerns, contact the coroner's office to find out what will happen next.
If a post-mortem is needed
If the death is reported to the coroner, or procurator fiscal in Scotland, they might decide that a post-mortem is needed. This is an examination of a body to try to find out the cause of death.
A post-mortem is carried out by a pathologist working for the coroner's office. A pathologist is a doctor who helps to find out the cause of death.
Once the pathologist has identified the cause of death, the coroner will send a form to the registrar stating the cause of death. They will also send a certificate for cremation if the body is to be cremated.
If someone dies at a hospice, hospital or care home
Hospices, hospitals and care homes have their own arrangements for verifying and certifying a death. In England and Wales, the doctor who completes the medical certificate of cause of death shares it with the medical examiner for review (unless they need to report the death to the coroner). The hospital can give information about registering the death.
A member of staff will offer you advice about contacting a funeral director, although they may not be able to recommend a particular company. You can also ask them about what to do next if you do not plan to use a funeral director.
If someone dies abroad
There will be a different process to follow if someone has died abroad. You can find out more from GOV.UK or Citizens Advice (see links below).
What happens after the death is certified?
Once the death has been certified, the next stage depends on whether you will use a funeral director or make the arrangements yourself.
You may want to check if the person had a financial funeral plan in place. This means a burial or cremation they've already paid for. If you're not sure, My Funeral Matters has a service to help trace plans.
If you're using a funeral director, you can contact them once you're ready. You do not need to rush. The funeral director will generally come within an hour of being contacted.