Funerals & Frequently Asked Questions
What do I do when someone dies?
At Home
If the death was expected
A medical professional must come to verify the death before you can contact us. You should call the persons Doctor or Senior Nurse who will attend to do this.
If they died at night, call NHS 111 and ask for an on-call Doctor or Senior Nurse who can do this. You don't have to do this right away if you would like to spend some time with them.
If the death was not expected
If someone dies unexpectedly you must call 999. They will contact the Coroner to investigate the cause of death.
The Coroner will arrange for a local Funeral Director to collect the person who has died. You don’t need to use this Funeral Director and can contact us to bring the deceased into our care after the investigation is finished.
In Hospital
If the death was expected
A medical professional must verify the death before you can contact us. You should inform the hospital that we are your chosen Funeral Director.
If the death was not expected
The hospital might need to do a post-mortem examination to find out the cause of death. If they’re unable to find out the cause, the Doctor will contact the Coroner who will investigate further. You should inform the hospital that we are your chosen Funeral Director.
In a Care Home or Hospice
If the death was expected
Staff at the Care Home or Hospice will contact a medical professional to verify the death before you can contact us.
If the death was not expected
If someone dies unexpectedly at a Care Home or Hospice, the emergency services must be involved. They will contact the Coroner to investigate the cause of death.
The Coroner will arrange for a local Funeral Director to collect the person who has died. You don’t need to use this Funeral Director and can contact us to bring the deceased into our care after the investigation is finished.
How do I register a death?
Once a medical professional has verified the death, they will contact the Medical Examiner. This can take a few days. The Medical Examiner will contact you before issuing a 'Medical Certificate of Cause of Death', which they will then send directly to the registrars. When the Medical Examiner lets you know this has been done, you will have 5 days to register the death.
To register the death you will need to contact the registrar's office either by telephone or online to book an appointment. Our local registrar is at the Civic Centre in Stoke.
Following the appointment, the green certificate can be requested to be emailed to us via admin@jackdawsonfuneral.co.uk
What happens if the Coroner is involved?
You can provisionally meet with us, and start to make the funeral arrangements, but nothing can be confirmed until the coroner has completed his procedures and has released the deceased for burial or cremation.
