What to do in your time of need

The procedure following a death will vary depending on the circumstances surrounding the death. A medical certificate of the cause of death must be obtained from a doctor. This certificate will enable you to register the death.

Firstly, on behalf of Michael and all the staff at Greater Manchester Funeral Service, may we offer our sincere condolences to you and your family at this very sad time.

Dealing with your loss is going to be a very emotional journey, on which myself and my team will try our best to guide you in the best way possible. Please read the instructions below, and if you have any questions or if there is anything you do not understand please call our office on 0161 681 1864.

A death at home:

If your loved one has been poorly at home on an end-of-life programme, then you must contact your GP to attend and confirm the death. (District nurses must also be notified if any monitoring systems or medication is being used and must be removed.) The doctor will advise that you are now free to contact a funeral director.

You can then contact us to bring your loved one into our care.

On the next available working day, you are to contact your GP surgery and request the death certificate. If the death has occurred out of hours or over the weekend, the surgery should receive a notification from the out of hours attending doctor services.

If the person has passed away at Hospital or in a Hospice, you must contact them directly. They will be available to help you obtain the death certificate.

Medical examiner:

The doctor will provide you with information concerning a Medical Examiner. This person will contact you regarding the causes of the death written on the certificate. PLEASE NOTE: This person may take up to 5 days to call you. This is normal, however if you do not hear from them in this period please call the surgery back. They will also guide you through the procedures of registering the death at the local registrar’s office.

Once you have made an appointment to register the death, you will need to call our office to book in to see me or one of our funeral directors to make the funeral arrangements. We are available 24 hours a day, on 0161 681 1864.

Additional information:

When the death is referred to the Coroner

Sometimes the Coroner will need to be informed when a doctor cannot issue the medical certificate of the cause of death. In these circumstances, once the Coroner has determined the cause of death, the Coroner's Office will produce a death certificate. This will be sent by the Coroner's Office to the relevent Registrar's Office, allowing you to now register the death.

Registering a death

If the person died in a house or a hospital, the death can be registered by:

• A relative.
• Someone present at the death.
• An occupant of the house.
• An official of the hospital.
• The person making the arrangements with the funeral director.

Deaths that occurred anywhere else can be registered by:

• A relative.
• Someone present at the death.
• The person who found the body.
• The person in charge of the body.
• The person making the arrangements with the funeral director.

Most deaths are registered by a relative. The registrar would normally only allow a non-relative if there are no relatives available.

Documents and information you will need

When registering a death you will need to take the following:

• Medical Certificate of the Cause of death (Signed by a doctor).

And if available:

• The deceased's Birth Certificate.
• The deceased's NHS Medical Card.
• The deceased's Marriage/ Civil Partnership Certificate.

Documents you will receive

If a post-mortem is not being held, the registrar will issue you with:

• A certificate for burial or cremation (the green form), giving permission for the body to be buried or for an application for cremation to be made.
• A Certificate of Registration of Death (form BD8) issued for Social Security purposes if the person received a Sate Pension or benefits.
• A Bereavement Registration Form.

If a post-mortem is being held to dertermine the cause of death and the deceased is to be cremated the coroner will issue to you a: Form Cremation 6 Certificate of Coroner.

If you require further information please do not hesistate to telephone us on 0161- 681 1864.