It’s never too early to get in touch, even before you need us. When someone has died, we’ll help you take the first steps.
If you need to arrange a baby or child’s funeral, please call us so we can offer the right guidance from your very first conversation.
First Steps
Agreeing to bring your loved one into our care, and when.
- For us to bring your loved one into our care, death has to be verified by a medical authority (doctor, nurse, paramedic or similar).
- Some families want us to come as soon as possible – and we can. Others may want time to say goodbye or for other family members to gather. It’s entirely up to you.
- If we’re coming to a private residential or care home, we’ll need written authorisation on our consent form from someone on site. For hospitals, this authorisation must be provided in writing beforehand and can be done electronically.
We bring your loved one into our care where they can be looked after by our team of professionals.
- We’ll provide confirmation of the location and nearby branches.
- It’s not goodbye. Families have an opportunity to visit loved ones in the branch nearest to them, a family home or place of worship.
Registration
Medical authorities (doctors) will issue a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD), also referred to as Form 11.
In Scotland (except Dundee, Angus and Fife)
Doctors send the MCCD to the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages who will contact families to arrange to register the death by appointment locally. In some areas this could be within 3 days, others may take up to a week.
Dundee, Angus and Fife
Families will be asked to contact the registrar as soon as possible to arrange an appointment to register the death. It’s possible to do this before an MCCD is issued as the registrar will follow up once they receive their copy.
In England
Doctors will liaise with the Medical Examiner after which the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) is issued to the Registrar. Once it is received by them, registrations must be completed within 5 days.
Some registrars issue a pre-screening questionnaire and others will use the appointment to confirm the following essential information. For the person who’s died, you’ll need:
-
- Full name, gender, date and country of birth
- National Insurance number
- Occupation: current or previous
- Address and postcode
- Parental names and occupations
- Marital status with partner(s) name, date of birth and occupation
You can make funeral arrangements any time before a death. However, only once registration is fully complete can these arrangements be formally announced or confirmed. Our teams will guide families as to the timescales likely to be involved.
Details of the registrars are below.
[link of regional areas: North Scotland, Dundee Fife and Angus, Scottish Borders, Edinburgh and Lothian, North East England to be added]
Established since 1888
Frequently asked questions
We’ll cover all these elements when we meet to make arrangements, but some frequently asked questions include:
Embalming
Embalming slows down the natural process that occurs after someone dies. It’s a service offered to allow families a safe way to say goodbye, especially if the funeral is likely to be some days later.
Personal effects
If you’re with your loved one, this is a good time to decide what clothes you’d like us to dress them in, or which personal effects you want to be with them. Or you can arrange for clothing to be dropped off or collected in the days that follow.
Visiting and saying goodbye
Coming into our care isn’t the last time you’ll be able to see your loved one again. We encourage visiting and can arrange this in the branch nearest to you, at home or in a place of worship. In our branches, you can visit a loved one as often as you want, in groups or solo visits. It’s really important you have this time to say goodbye, and we’ll do whatever we can to make these visits as peaceful as possible.
Timescales
Knowing the potential timescale of the funeral is important. In reality, the date of a funeral is influenced by many factors: time of year, personal circumstances, type of funeral and regional considerations. It’s easier to delay a funeral than to rush the planning stage. Once we know more about your requirements, your funeral director will guide you, so in turn, you can make or announce arrangements.
When do we arrange the funeral?
To help you and your family approach the many decisions needed we’ll arrange a meeting with a funeral director who will be your point of contact throughout. These are usually done in-person but it’s equally possible to host video calls or a blend of both throughout. We can do this immediately or at a time and date that suits you, especially if you want to involve others who may not be local.