If someone passes away at home;

When someone passes away, it can be traumatic enough, but there are some considerations that you must make to ensure the body is properly taken care of. 

If the death was expected then you will need to call eitther their GP or if this is not known to you, dial 111. If the person passes during the night, it’s okay for you to wait until the morning to make contact. If you are not the next of kin, ideally, you should make them aware as soon as possible. If the Dr is aware of the patient and the death was to be expected, they will issue you with death certificate, which you will need in order to be able to register the death with the local authorities. You should also call the Funeral Director you will be using who will then arrange to collect the body and take good care of it. Your Funeral Director will also work with you through the steps required to officially register the death with the local authorities as well as guide you through organising a suitable funeral.

If the death at home was unexpected you must call 999 immediately where you will be advised by the operator of the steps you will be required to take. This may include attempting to resuscitate the person. When the Ambulance Crew arrives, they will either try to continue to resuscitate or will confirm the death. The Police will then arrange for the body to be taken into the care of a Funeral Director who will, in effect, be acting on behalf of the Coroner. Depending on the circumstances surrounsing the death, the Coronor may order a Post Mortem to be carried out to determine the cause of death. An inquest into the death may also be called. A funeral cannot take place until the Coronor has concluded their duties. 

 

 

If you are registering a death in Kent you will have to arrange to do so officially within five days of the person passing unless there is a Coronor involved, in which case this won’t be necessary. If you are a relative or were present at the death, then you are able to officially register. Otherwise it can be done by a Hospital Adminstrator or the person who is organising the funeral. 

You will need to book at appointment to register the death with Kent County Council – here is the link to register the death if you are located in Kent, including Bexley

For Medway please click here

It is required to make an appointment so that you won’t have to wait. You can only register a death in the area in happened, irrespecitive of where the deceased resided. There are local registration points throughout the county, for a comprehensive list please click here. 

Althouth you don’t have to pay to register a death, there is a charge made for the death certificate. It’s up to you how many you require, but remember, some organisations will only accept an original copy when you are informing them of the change in circumstance. You will need to take the following with you to your appointment;

  • The death certificate that was issued by the attending GP/Practitioner. If there was a post mortem carried out the Coronor will take care of this. 
  • The birth/marriage/civil partnership certificate if available
  • Any bus passes or blue badges that have been assigned to the deceased
  • Payment of £11.00 per certificate, (correct as of November 2019)

The Registrar will provide you with the certificate required to go ahead with a burial or cremation, which you will then pass on to your Funeral Director. As well as the death certificate that you will need to be able to inform organisations such as the Department for Work and Pensions. 

Although this is a very difficult time, the authorites aim is to make it as seamless as possible. During your appointment you will be told more about KCC’s ‘Tell us Once’ initiative which makes the informing of other Goverment departments so much simpler. 

We hope you have found this useful and wish to offer our condolences on your loss.