In Times of Bereavement
Last Updated: Thursday, 27 March 2025The loss of a loved one
The emotional aspect of dealing with a bereavement – even one that was expected – can be devastating, but when you start thinking about the practicalities of what to do next it can become stressful and overwhelming.
Below explains some of the processes.
A Death at home
If the death was expected
A medical professional must come to verify the death before you can contact a funeral director. Call the GP surgery or the district nursing team who will come in person to do this.
If they died at night, call NHS 111 and ask for an on-call doctor or senior nurse who can do this. You don't have to do this right away if you would like some time with them.
After a death a GP will then issue a 'medical certificate of cause of death', which is needed before you can register the death. The certificate is checked by a Medical Examiner, and the Medical Examiner will also want to speak to the family. Once this has happened, the Medical Examiner will contact the GP surgery and the certificate will be emailed directly to the local registry office. The office will let you know once they have received it.
You will then be able to register the death
Register a death - Liverpool City Council
If the death was not expected
If someone dies unexpectedly you must call emergency services on 999. They will contact the coroner (or procurator fiscal in Scotland) to investigate the cause of death.
The coroner will arrange for a local funeral director to collect the person who has died to take them to the hospital mortuary (or city morgue in Scotland). You don’t need to use this funeral director, even if the person has been taken to their funeral home after the investigation is finished.
The coroner will issue a medical certificate of cause of death when they've finished their investigation, but you can still start arranging the funeral in the meantime. Sometimes, an ‘interim’ certificate is issued whilst further investigations are taking place.
A death In hospital
If someone dies in hospital, it is usually the hospital team who will arrange the death certificate and contact the medical examiner.
What are Medical Examiners?
Medical examiners review all deaths in any health setting that are not investigated by a coroner. Their job is to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the cause of death recorded on the medical certificate and they provide an opportunity for bereaved families to raise concerns about the care and treatment leading to the death.
The majority of current medical examiners are hospital consultants and GPs.
NHS England » The national medical examiner system
Links to bereavement help:
What to do after someone dies: Register the death - GOV.UK
What to do after a death - Citizens Advice