WHAT TO DO FOLLOWING A DEATH

Cruse Bereavement Care sells a UK-wide self-help kit with guidance and check lists, all in a neat folder to keep to hand and help you cope with practical and emotional issues after the death of a loved one. This is produced in collaboration with Lawpack and it's available for £9.99 by contacting our online shop. We hope you will find the practical information given below useful too. Our information has been awarded the Quality Mark of the Community Legal Advice Service.

Registering a death
This is explained on the website links - please click below for:
England and Wales | Northern Ireland | Scotland

For help if someone dies overseas, the Government’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office has a telephone number (02070081500). Click here for information about death abroad on the Foreign and Commonwealth website.

Post mortems and inquests
There are two types of post mortems- a ‘consented’ post mortem and a coroner’s post-mortem. A ‘consented’ post-mortem is an examination at a hospital and is with the written consent from relatives, prior consent of the person who has died, or consent from a nominated representative appointed by the person before they died.
Please click here for more information about post mortems from the NHS.

In some cases such as sudden or unexpected death it may be necessary for the doctor to refer the death to the coroner who may order a post-mortem examination. This is an examination of the body after death to determine cause of death or other important information. Following the post-mortem, the Coroner may issue the death certificate or may decide that an inquest is needed to determine cause of death.
Click here for information about coroners and post mortems from the government website.
You can find out more about inquests - please click here for the website of the charity Inquest.

There are no Coroners in Scotland; the relevant officer is the Procurator Fiscal, who has a responsibility to investigate all unexpected and unexplained deaths.
Click here to find out more about the work of a Procurator Fiscal.

THE FUNERAL
Finding a funeral director, choosing the ceremony, deciding where it will be held, whether cremation or burial, cost and whether to have a social gathering, are decisions that have to be made. The death first has to be registered, and where the Coroner (in England and Wales and Northern Ireland) or the Procurator Fiscal (in Scotland) is involved, they must have given authorisation.

There is independent advice about arranging funerals.
Click here for Consumer Direct and the section on Funerals;
and click here for information on Arranging Funerals on the government website Directgov.

There are two professional associations:
click here for the National Association of Funeral Directors
click here for the Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors.
A good funeral director should provide you with advice and support and help you in line with your choices and preferences, giving a clear idea of costs. There are many choices for funerals including woodland burial sites, burial on private land, and environmentally friendly coffins.
There is information on alternative funerals - click here for the Natural Death Centre.

For cremation you need:

Form A: an application , completed by the next of kin or executor and countersigned by a householder who knows the person, or the funeral director.
Form B: the medical certificate of the cause of death, signed by the doctor.
Form C: signed by a second, independent doctor.
Form F: the crematorium certificate, signed by the local medical referee at the crematorium on checking Forms B and C.
The green certificate: the Certificate for Cremation, issued by the registrar of Deaths.
Service Details Form: to inform the crematorium about the funeral service.
Click here for guidance on the formalities of cremation on the Ministry of Justice website.

If the Coroner (in England and Wales, and Northern Ireland) or the Procurator Fiscal (in Scotland) is involved, they will issue a Form E, a Certificate for Cremation, and forms B and C are not needed.

For all burials you need the Registrar’s Green Certificate for Burial or the Coroner’s (or the Procurator Fiscal’s) Order for Burial if the death has been referred to them. You need to complete the cemetery’s paperwork where it is a municipal cemetery; if the cemetery is a churchyard, you apply to the clergy responsible for the parish, who can help you.

In cases where no relatives are able to pay for a funeral, the hospital where the death occurred or the local authority may take responsibility for arranging a simple funeral. You can make a claim for a loan from the Social Fund by applying to Jobcentre Plus. Click here for information about bereavement allowances on the government website.

THE ESTATE
In order to deal with money and property, a legal document called a ‘Grant of Representation’ (often called ‘probate’ in England & Wales, and Northern Ireland, or ‘Confirmation’ in Scotland) is required.
Click here to find out more from Her Majesty's Government Probate Service

If you are acting as the executor or administrator, click here to find information on the government website in the section on wills and probate.

If you have queries about inheritance tax, there is a special Helpline on 0845 302 0900.

BENEFITS, ENTITLEMENTS AND LEGAL ISSUES
If you are a relative of a war pensioner, you can find out more about your entitlements - click here for the website of Veterans UK

For more information on benefits, if you are over pension age, contact the Pension Service on 0845 606 0265. If you are under pension age, contact Jobcentre Plus on 0845 608 8602.

Benefits, wills, probate, property, documentation - click here for information on the government's website.

If you have financial worries about bills or debts, click here to find your local Citizens’ Advice Bureau
and click here for the National Debt Helpline, or call them on 0808 808 4000

Citizens Advice can also be a useful source of information on housing questions - your local branch will be in the telephone directory for your area - and may also help with legal issues.

There are other organisations too
Click here for the free and confidential advice service provided by Community Legal Advice or call the helpline on 0845 345 4345;
Click here to find out about Law Centres and the not-for-profit legal practices providing free legal advice and representation to disadvantaged people, or call the helpline on 02073878570
Click here for the Law Society or call on 020 7242 1222 ( England and Wales), and 0131 226 7411 ( Scotland).

MORE USEFUL LINKS

Bereavement Register Call 0870 600 7222 to have people who have died removed from databases used by those companies which subscribe to the Bereavement Register. You can also call the Preference Services on 08457034599.

Coroners Society of England and Wales and Coroners Society of Northern Ireland

Cremation Society of Great Britain Call 01622 688 292/3

Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management Call 020 8989 4661

Institute of Civil Funerals

National Association of Memorial Masons Call 01788 542 264

Probate in Scotland - Contact the nearest Sheriff Court

HM Revenue and Customs has information about inheritance tax, assets and trusts

Pension Service (Department for Work and Pensions) Call 0845 606 0265.

Benefits available for people of working age who are bereaved

Jobcentre Plus Bereavement Benefits Helpline:l 0845 608 8602

Enduring Power of Attorney Helpline: 0845 330 2963

Occupational Pensions Advisory Service: 020 7233 8016 with information and guidance on all pensions 

Scattering ashes - a useful guide.

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