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  • About us
  • Cremations
    • Personalised Cremation
    • No Fuss Pre-10am
    • Direct Cremation
    • Alternative Cremation Venue
    • Crematoria
    • Prices
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    • Traditional Burial
    • Natural Burial
    • Cemeteries
    • Natural burial grounds
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When someone dies…

When you are facing or have just experienced the death of a loved one, the legalities and the practical side of planning a funeral may feel daunting and challenging. In this section you will find basic advice on what you need to do when someone dies. If you need help, we are just a phone call away – call us on 020 3281 1045.

What you need to do

Here are the key things you need to take care of after someone has died. It’s actually quite straightforward so try not to get stressed. Just do one thing at a time and if you need any help please speak to us.

  • Register death
  • Coroner
  • Arrange funeral
  • Resources

Register death

The Essential Steps to Registering a Death

From 25th March 2022 onwards you must attend a death registration appointment in person (during Covid restrictions the registration process was handled by telephone). We have noticed that this causes a delay in getting an appointment at some register offices.

  • Officially you need to register the death within five working days of the death occurring – but in practice it takes longer than this to get an appointment at some Register Offices.
  • The Register Office to use is the one in the same district where your relative died, which you can find here.
  • Registration cannot happen until the Medical Certificate for Cause of Death (MCCD) has been issued, either from the hospital doctor or the GP, which they send electronically to the registrar.  Usually the hospital bereavement office or the GP surgery will inform you when they have done this.
  • Most registrars require you to complete an online form and they will then call you to arrange an appointment, others will simply call you to arrange a date.  You are best to visit their website – see the tabs opposite for useful links.

The following documentation is useful to have when the telephone appointment takes place, the registrar will also advise:

  • any ID documentation for the deceased (e.g. utility bill, NHS number or medical card)
  • any official certificates for the deceased (e.g. birth certificate, marriage certificate)

During the appointment

  • The registrar will also ask for certain additional details, such as place and date of birth, place and date of death, last address and occupation of the deceased. They will also need the full name, date of birth and occupation of their spouse.
  • They will also ask for details of the funeral director (we are on the system of many registrars)

After the appointment

The Registrar will provide you with the Death Certificate which you will need for settling their affairs, so it’s a good idea to buy extra copies at the time. Each copy costs £11.

They will also give you a Tell Us Once reference number to access the Tell Us Once online service which makes it easy to notify most government organisations at once of the death.

The Registrar will email the Certificate for Burial or Cremation (known as ‘the Green Form’) directly to the funeral director.

If the death has been reported to a coroner you can’t register the death until the coroner gives permission.

For contact details of local register offices in Richmond, Kingston, Surrey and SW London read our blog Registering a death at a register office.

How to register the death of a loved one at the Register Office

Useful links:

  • Register a death in Richmond upon Thames
  • Register a death in Kingston upon Thames
  • Register a death in Surrey (Camberley, Farnham, Guildford, Leatherhead, Reigate or Weybridge)
  • Register a death in Hounslow
  • Register a death in Merton

Relevant blog articles:

  • Registering a death at a register office

Coroner

A death is referred to the coroner when someone dies unexpectedly, if someone dies at home without being seen by their GP within the last 28 days,  or a conclusion for the cause of death cannot be determined by the doctor who attended to them.

What will happen:

  • The coroner will assign  you a case officer who will liaise with you
  • The coroner will decide whether a post-mortem is necessary
  • If a post mortem is not necessary and the cause of death is confirmed, the coroner will sign a Form A, so the death can be registered the normal way
  • When a post mortem takes place, the coroner will issue a form B which allows the body of your relative to be released and for the funeral to take place.  Often they are waiting for toxicology results, in which case an interim death certificate will raised, until the cause of death can be formally confirmed and the death registered.
  • You will need to give the coroner the details of your chosen funeral director so they can send the necessary release paperwork so your relative can be collected.

For more detailed information you can read about deaths referred to HM Coroner here.

How to organise a cremation funeral in London

Useful links:

  • Arranging a funeral
  • Direct Cremation
  • No Fuss Cremation Service
  • Personalised Cremation Service
  • Burial funerals
  • Natural Burials

Arrange funeral

So far we have covered the practical steps you need to take after someone has died. These are standard processes and legal formalities that need to be completed before the funeral can go ahead.

The task of arranging the funeral is where things get personal. It is all about respecting the wishes of your loved one and organising it in a way that feels right for you and your family.

Some people want a traditional funeral, with a hearse, procession, funeral service and pallbearers, followed by the burial or cremation. Others prefer to have a more simple, yet no less meaningful, cremation service with a smaller group of mourners and then take their time to organise a commemoration of the person’s life at a later date.

Visiting a traditional high street funeral director is certainly far from your only option. At White Rose we can help you organise a Funeral involving a Cremation (see Direct Cremation, No Fuss Cremation Service or Personalised Cremation Service) or Burial (see Burial funerals or Natural Burials). We can also help you organise a separate Celebration of Life service that respects and commemorates the life of your loved one.

We are happy to visit you at home to talk through your wishes and explain how we can help to organise things for you. Please get in touch to request a home visit or read more about Arranging a Funeral.

How to organise a cremation funeral in London

Useful links:

  • Arranging a funeral
  • Direct Cremation
  • No Fuss Cremation Service
  • Personalised Cremation Service
  • Burial funerals
  • Natural Burials

Resources

For any questions you may have regarding what to do when someone dies, please call the White Rose team on 020 3281 1045 and we will be happy to help you.

You can find more in-depth information about what to do when someone dies in our Knowledge Base on this website and at our sister website independentfuneral.co.uk including a detailed step-by-step guide.

There’s also plenty of useful information online to help guide you through this process. Here we have provided links to external websites for your convenience in accordance with our privacy policy – but if you need any help with planning a funeral or cremation, please do contact us.

Funeral suppliers

Funeral directors

  • White Rose Modern Funerals

Funeral products

  • Angel & Dove

Coffins

  • The Coffin Company
  • Greenfield Coffins
  • Cradle To Grave
  • The Somerset Willow Company
  • Earth to Heaven
  • Ecopod

Cremation Urns

  • Urns UK
  • Earth to Heaven
  • Eco Urns

Cremated remains ideas

  • Ash Glass Design
  • Ashes into Glass
  • Scattering Ashes

Funeral flowers

  • Rose & Mary

Funeral venues

  • Funeral Reception Venues
  • Venues 4 Funerals

Useful funeral-related resources:

  • The Independent Funeral Guide
  • What to do after someone dies (GOV.UK)
  • Register a death (GOV.UK)
  • Find a register office (GOV.UK)
  • Tell Us Once Service (DWP)
  • The Bereavement Register
  • The Natural Death Centre
  • The Good Funeral Guide

Get in touch

We're happy to chat through any questions you may have in person. Call 020 3281 1045

Contact us

Affiliations

The Good Funeral Guide 2022 Recommended Funeral Director - Natural Death Centre
association of green funeral directors Fair Funerals Pledge 2021

White Rose Modern Funerals independent funeral directors are proud to be a recommended by the Good Funeral Guide and the Natural Death Centre, members of the Association of Green Funeral Directors and signed up to the Fair Funerals pledge. We arrange funerals for families across SW London and Surrey.

Reviews & Awards

White Rose Modern Funerals
Causeway House
13 The Causeway
Teddington
Middlesex
TW11 0JR
UK
020 3281 1045
team@whiterosemodernfunerals.co.uk

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