Death & Dying

Call your GP Surgery or if out of hours, call 111. If applicable call their nearest relative. If the death was expected, for example due to a terminal illness, in most instances the doctor will issue a medical certificate of the cause of death to allow the death to be registered at the Register Office. A Death Certificate will then be provided. Having spoken with the GP practice and when you feel ready to do so, you can contact a funeral director.

The hospital will usually issue a medical certificate and formal notice. They will support you with the next steps you need to take. The body will usually be kept in the hospital mortuary until the funeral directors or relatives arrange a chapel of rest, or for the body to be taken home.

If someone dies abroad, register the death according to the regulations of the country. Register it with the British Consul in the country too, so you can get a consulate death certificate and a record can be kept in the UK.

You need to register the death within five days. Here’s a step-by-step guide how to do that:

Step 1 – Contact The Registry Office: Weston-super-Mare Register Office, The Register Office, Town Hall, Walliscote Grove Road, Weston-super-Mare, BS23 1UJ

Step 2 – When you go to the register office, you’ll need to take with you the medical certificate showing the cause of death, signed by a doctor. If possible, also take the person’s birth certificate, NHS medical card or number, marriage or civil partnership certificate, driving licence, proof of their address. You will have to tell the registrar: the person’s full name (and any other names they had, such as a maiden name), the person’s date and place of birth, their date and place of death, their usual address, their most recent occupation, whether or not they were receiving any benefits, (including State Pension) and the name, occupation, and date of birth of their spouse or civil partner.

Step 3 – What you’ll get When you have provided the required information, the registrar will give you: a certificate for burial or cremation (known as the Green Form); a certificate of registration of death (form BD8). You should fill this out and return it in the pre-paid envelope if the person was receiving State Pension or any benefits, leaflets about bereavement benefits and a death certificate for which there will be a charge.

Step 4 – Getting extra certificates If you need to you can buy extra death certificates – these will be needed for the will and any claims to pensions, savings, etc. It’s best to pay for several copies, because copies requested at a later date may be more expensive. Ordinary photocopies aren’t accepted by some organisations, such as banks or life insurance companies.

Step 5 – Updating records This is quite a large task as all companies and organisations will need to be advised, such as the bank, building society, insurance companies, utilities, and others where you may have to change the account into another name. Please see below.

When someone dies, you must get in touch with certain organisations to let them know as soon as possible. (TIP: You may be able to use the Tell Us Once service to do some of this if it’s available in your area)

The government departments that can be contacted in one go include:

Local services such as libraries, electoral services and council tax services; 

Tax Office;

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA);

UK Passport Agency;

HMRC for tax purposes.

If your local authority doesn’t offer the Tell Us Once service, you’ll need to contact these departments yourself. You’ll need to return the driver’s licence to the DVLA and the passport to HM Passport Office. You may need to contact other organisations as well, such as:

Pension scheme provider; Insurance Company; Bank and Building Society; Employer; Mortgage Provider; Housing Association or Council Housing Office; Social Services; Utility Companies; GP; Dentist; Optician and anyone else providing medical care; Any Charities, Organisations or Magazine Subscriptions the deceased person made regular payments to and the Bereavement Register, which removes their details from mailing lists and stops most advertising mail.

You should send any Lasting Power of Attorney or Enduring Power of Attorney they had back to the Office of the Public Guardian, along with a death certificate, if you were their attorney.

The person who died may have left funeral instructions in their will or a letter about their wishes. If there aren’t any clear wishes, the executor or nearest relative will usually decide if the body will be cremated or buried and what type of funeral will take place.

To help you decide which company to use. Ask for an itemised quote which includes: the funeral director’s services, a coffin transfer of the deceased person from the place of death, and care of them before the funeral, a hearse to the nearest crematorium or cemetery, and all necessary arrangements and paperwork. There may be extra charges for third parties such as the crematorium, clergy and doctors. Funeral directors may ask for these fees to be paid upfront.

You don’t have to use a funeral director if you don’t want to – you can have a ‘do-it-yourself’ funeral. DIY funerals can be less expensive, more environmentally friendly as well as more personal and intimate. This type of funeral often takes place when someone makes their wishes clear before their death and plans for it themselves, as it can involve more advance planning. Contact your local council if you want to arrange a funeral in your local cemetery or crematorium.

Arranging a funeral can not only be stressful – it can also be expensive. If you’re paying for the funeral, think carefully about what you can afford. The funeral can be paid for by: you or other family members or friends, a lump sum from a life insurance policy or pension scheme the person paid into, a pre-paid funeral plan the person took out, the person’s estate (any money, property or assets they left and funeral costs take precedence over other debts, money the person had in a bank or building society, although they don’t have to release the money until probate (the legal process of distributing the money, property and possessions of the person who’s died) is granted. If there’s a delay, you may need to pay the costs in the meantime.

You may be able to get a Funeral Payment from the Social Fund if you’re on a low income and meet the criteria. There are strict rules about who can get help and how much you will receive. You must be claiming Pension Credit or certain other means-tested benefits, and had a close relationship with the person who died – for example, you may have been their partner. If you don’t qualify for a Funeral Payment – or it doesn’t cover the full costs of the funeral – you may be able to get a Budgeting Loan from the Social Fund. These are interest-free loans of between £100 and £1500 that you repay from your benefits.