What do I do when someone dies?

Understanding what to do

The Maddock team realise, you may not have deal with the death of a loved one before. Like you, many people are completely unsure what happens (and what they need to do) following a bereavement – so we hope that this basic guidance will provide you with some help at what can often be an emotional time.

If your loved one dies in hospital…

Hospital staff will arrange for a doctor to issue the Medical Certificate of Death which you’ll need to collect, along with any belongings, from the hospital.

If the funeral is to be a cremation, you’ll also need to inform the hospital staff so they can make arrangements for any additional documentation needed.

If your loved one dies at home or in a nursing home…

First of all, contact the deceased’s doctor who, if satisfied with the cause of death, will issue the Medical Certificate of Death. Sometimes you’ll need to collect the certificate from the surgery.

Nursing home staff will usually liaise with the doctor and arrange to collect the certificate.

If your loved one dies unexpectedly…

If the deceased has not been under a doctor’s care on a regular basis, the emergency doctor (or any police involved at the scene) will automatically inform the Coroner’s office. This is just a standard procedure and we can offer additional advice to guide you through.

If your loved one dies away from home or abroad…

Whether it happens elsewhere in the UK or overseas, we can make all the necessary arrangements to get your loved one back home to where you live.

Please contact us on (0151) 228 3900 (24-hour manned line) and we’ll take it from here.