When Death Happens at Home
If the death followed an illness or period of palliative care at home (i.e. the death was ‘expected’), a medical professional will need to confirm that death has occurred. The body cannot be moved until a suitably qualified medic (typically either a doctor, district nurse or paramedic) confirms the death and provides a written Verification of the Fact of Death form.
- If a nurse is present, they will usually handle this
- If not, call the number provided by your palliative care team or your family member’s GP practice (use their out of hours number if applicable) – and they will explain what will happen next in terms of who to expect to arrive and by when
- If you can’t reach either of these, call NHS 111
This verification process is separate from the formal death registration, which happens much later with a Registrar at which point you will receive the official Death Certificate.
If the death was sudden or unexpected, you will need to call 999 and request the police and ambulance. In these circumstances the death will typically be referred to HM Coroner, which means that a funeral director cannot collect the body.
Calling Us
Please call us on 020 3281 1045 once death has happened, or once it has been verified.
If you’d like some quiet time before we arrive, just let us know and we can arrange a later time to arrive..
Our team will arrange to come as soon as possible and we will let you know our ETA in advance. We do have a legal obligation to manage driver safety hours, so if you call after working hours or during the night, we may request a specific time for us to arrive.
Caring for Your Relative at Home
Until we arrive we recommend that you:
- Keep windows and doors closed (to avoid flies)
- Cover your relative with a light sheet (avoid duvets or blankets)
- Close curtains or blinds to block sunlight
- Turn off any heating in the room
- If available, turn on a fan or air conditioning to keep the room cool
Our Arrival
Our team will arrive in a discreet vehicle. We will introduce ourselves and then assess the space, before bringing in our stretcher.
Typically family prefer to be in another room whilst we take care of your relative, but if you wish to watch or partake, you can.
We will bring your relative into our care at our private modern private mortuary near Twickenham.
They will be gently cared for with the highest standards of environmentally friendly hygiene and high tech refrigeration. Regular monitoring ensures dignity at every stage, we do not use any invasive procedures.
We do not have an on-site chapel of rest at our office – we like to keep this space relaxing for family meetings only. When a family requires a chapel of rest, we hire the chapel at a local church which is far more conducive to privacy, peace and quiet.
For collecting a family member who has died from a private home, a £275 collection fee applies, including during normal weekday working hours, as personnel requirements differ from scheduled hospital collections. There is no additional overnight, weekend or bank holiday surcharge on top of this.
Next Steps
Once your relative is in our care, you don’t need to do anything immediately.
We’ll send you an email with a link to complete our Key Information Form when you feel ready and explain the next steps to take.
Medical Certificate & Registering the Death
- Your GP (or attending doctor) will prepare the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD)
- The MCCD is sent to a Medical Examiner for approval before it is forwarded to the Registrar
- You’ll be notified by the Medical Examiner once it has been sent — only then can you book an appointment to register the death
- The specific register office you will need to contact is can be identified here based on the location of where the death occurred – if you visit the Register Office website to see how to book a telephone appointment – some require you to complete an online form first.
Please note it may take a few days until you hear from the Medical Examiner.
Arranging the Funeral
There’s no rush, we can begin planning the funeral — at a pace that feels right for you. The first step is to contact us so we can help guide you.
This page has been created to give you the essential information you need following a death at home. If you are dealing with an end of life scenario and caring for your family member at home, please see End of Life preparation. We have also created a longer article about what to expect when someone dies at home.
