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Save £100 when you purchase two funeral plans together. Call us for more details.
11 minute read
When someone dies in hospital, it’s natural for families to feel overwhelmed, especially amid the practical steps that follow. Knowing what to expect can bring comfort and reassurance, allowing you to focus on remembering your loved one. We’re here to walk you through what to do when someone passes away, from the official confirmation of death to arrangements for personal belongings and the transition to funeral care. We hope this article can offer clarity during this difficult time.
Several key steps are taken once a person passes away in a hospital. These processes ensure that the person and their family are treated with care and that everything is recorded properly.
First of all, a doctor will need to confirm the person’s death. This official medical confirmation is a critical step and involves checking vital signs and preparing a medical certificate that notes the cause of death if it is known. This certificate is formally known as the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) and is essential when registering the death with the local authorities. In most cases, the MCCD is prepared soon after a person’s death, but if additional reviews or referrals to a coroner are necessary, families may experience a slight delay.
Another key step is to notify the next of kin or emergency contact. If the death was expected, the loved ones of the person who has passed may have been there when it happened. If not, the hospital team will notify family members directly and gently.
When a loved one passes away in the hospital, the staff take on important responsibilities to ensure respectful care and provide guidance to families during this sensitive time.
The hospital’s primary role after a person’s death is to handle the certification and initial care of the person who has passed. They will verify the person’s identity and cause of death and possibly transfer the person from a care setting into a mortuary. Some hospital staff may even help with the personal care of the body such as repositioning their head, tidying their appearance and cleaning the room they are in.
While in the hospital’s care, the medical team will ensure that the person who has passed is treated with respect and prepared appropriately. During this time, families can reach out to the hospital’s bereavement office or Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) for support, advice, and guidance on the steps to follow. If family members have questions about their loved one’s care or concerns about the process, bereavement officers are there to offer help and make sure they feel informed and reassured.
The person who has passed will be respectfully transferred to the hospital mortuary, where they remain until arrangements can be made with a funeral provider to collect them. The mortuary provides a secure, temporary resting place for the deceased, and families are welcome to arrange a visit if they would like to see their loved one. Hospital staff can help organise a private and peaceful viewing, giving family members the chance to say goodbye in a respectful setting. Please note, that this may not always be possible to accommodate.
When the time comes to release the body to a funeral provider, the hospital will ensure this process is handled smoothly. The bereavement office can assist in coordinating these arrangements, including preparing any necessary paperwork for the mortuary team. If you have chosen a funeral provider, simply provide their details to the bereavement office, which will handle the formalities so your loved one can be transferred with care.
We often enter a hospital with some of our personal belongings such as clothing, a phone or jewellery. These may stay on the person when they pass or be in their assigned bed or drawers. As family members handle logistical and practical matters alongside their grief, these items are sometimes left behind in the hospital.
If this is the case, personal belongings go into the care of the hospital’s patient affairs or bereavement office and be securely kept until the next of kin or an authorised person can collect them. This approach ensures that each belonging is accurately noted down and is accessible when the family has the time to retrieve them. Please check with your hospital as they may have a different system.
Once a family member or another authorised person is ready, they can arrange to pick up personal belongings from the hospital. The bereavement team will inform the family of collection times and any specific steps. You may want to call the team at the hospital beforehand to ensure they are open and prepared for your visit ahead of time. You can typically find opening times and a phone number on the hospital’s website.
To ensure security, the family member or their authorised representative will likely need to present identification and sign an acknowledgement form. This step helps the hospital confirm the items are returned to the correct person, adding a layer of protection and providing families with a transparent and respectful process for receiving their loved one’s belongings.
Registering a death is a legal requirement and must be completed to proceed with funeral arrangements. The family will need to visit the local register office to officially record the death. This section provides an overview of what to expect during registration.
The medical certificate or MCCD provides the official cause of death and other essential details about the person who has passed. Only a medical professional who attended to the deceased during their life can complete this document and families will need the MCCD to register the death with the registrar.
Due to a change in regulation in September 2024, England and Wales now use a medical examiner system. The role of the medical examiner is to support bereaved families and ensure the accuracy of the MCCD. They review the patient’s medical records, confirm or discuss the cause of death, and seek family input if needed.
If the death was expected and the family and medical examiner agree on the cause of death, the MCCD can be issued quickly and sent directly to the registrar’s office, allowing the family to proceed with registering the death.
The death must be registered at the local register office, ideally within five days in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, or within eight days in Scotland. Families can make an appointment at the register office online, over the phone, or in person, however, the appointment itself can only be done in person.
At the register office, the family will need to provide personal details about the deceased, such as their full name, date of birth, and occupation. It’s helpful to bring documents like a passport, birth certificate, NHS card, or proof of address, though only the MCCD is essential. The hospital will usually forward the MCCD directly to the local registrar’s office.
After registering the death, the registrar will provide the necessary forms for burial or cremation and issue the death certificate.
In some cases, the hospital staff may not be able to determine the exact cause of death. When this occurs, the case is referred to a coroner for further investigation.
If the cause of death is uncertain or unexpected, the hospital must refer the death to the coroner (or procurator fiscal in Scotland). The coroner will examine the case to determine the cause of death, potentially ordering a post-mortem examination to gather more information. In some instances, an inquest may also be conducted to address additional questions surrounding the death.
While this process can be distressing, the coroner’s role is to provide clarity and an accurate conclusion. Families are kept informed and may be invited to give statements or attend the inquest. This investigation helps provide peace of mind, ensuring that an unexpected death is fully understood.
When a death is referred to the coroner, this may cause delays in the MCCD being issued, affecting the timeline for registering the death. Although it is hard to say exactly how long it will take to arrange a funeral when the coroner is involved, you can organise some details as you wait such as which funeral provider to go with and the kind of funeral you want. Sometimes, the coroner may issue an interim certificate to allow certain legal steps to proceed while the final certificate is pending.
While the coroner’s office aims to complete investigations as efficiently as possible, post-mortems or inquests can take time, which may delay the funeral planning process. You may still be able to contact funeral providers and establish some plans while you wait. Reach out to the registrar’s office and the bereavement office at the hospital to ensure everyone is up to date and aware of the situation.
When someone passes away, donating their organs or tissues can be a meaningful choice, providing the possibility of helping others in need. Whether they carried a donor card, were on the Organ Donor Register, or expressed their wishes during their life, the hospital can assist in honouring their wishes. You may choose to consider tissue donation at this time if there is no record of their organ donation, but this is entirely voluntary.
The NHS Organ Donor Register typically coordinates this by reaching out to the family to explain options and answer any questions. They will also work with the hospital team if necessary. Rest assured, this process is handled with the utmost care and respect for your family and the person who has passed.
The hospital’s first priority after a death is to notify the next of kin or an emergency contact. This is typically listed in the hospital records and is usually done sensitively to ensure that the news is delivered with the care it deserves.
The hospital may also inform the family’s chosen funeral director if one has already been selected. This communication allows the family to begin making funeral arrangements and plan the collection of the body from the hospital.
A funeral director plays a crucial role in helping families navigate funeral plans and other key steps after a loved one’s passing. At Aura, every family that turns to us gets individual support from our dedicated team of funeral experts known as the Aura Angels. They are here to assist with paperwork, and organising the details of a funeral and can even offer emotional support.
Once the death certificate and the form for cremation are both ready, we can step in to coordinate the transfer of your loved one from the hospital mortuary into our care. We will take them to our state-of-the-art care centres where we perform regular identity checks and prepare your loved one for their cremation.
Aura offers direct cremation services which are an affordable alternative to traditional funerals. They are usually unattended cremations as this can help reduce funeral costs and allow loved ones the time to grieve, allowing families to arrange a separate memorial at a time that suits them.
We can also offer attended options to allow families the chance to gather for a private and intimate memorial service. If you have any questions about what we offer at Aura or would like to talk to one of our Angels about any of the steps involved in this article, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
