When a friend or a loved one passes away it can be an extremely difficult time and if you have the responsibility for arranging the funeral, it can seem a very daunting and overwhelming task. At Forsey and Son we have experienced local staff on call at all times to answer the telephone personally, to attend to moving a deceased person from the place at which they have died and to visit families to make funeral arrangements.

​However, under certain specific circumstances, different courses of actions are taken by the various parties involved.

​What to do when someone dies…

​At home

• Call their doctor in order for a medical certificate of the cause of death to be issued
• A locum doctor or senior nursing professional can also issue a statement to say death has ocurred
• You may then call us to be able to take your loved one back into our care

​In a hospital or care home

• You will normally be informed by the hospital that death has occurred
• You may then call us and we will liaise with the hospital or nursing home to take your loved one back into our care

Unexpected or sudden death

• If someone dies unexpectedly or the doctor is not sure what has caused the death, the case will be referred to the local Coroner’s Office and you will be kept informed by them
• In due course it is the Coroner that will issue the cause of death for the registrar
• It is still recommended that you contact us so that we can liaise with the Coroner’s Office
• In the interim period before a final decision is reached by the Coroner, we can begin to discuss preliminary arrangements

​In many, but not all, of the above cases you will need to make an appointment to register the death with the Registrar of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Care at the local registrar in the sub-district where the death occurred. For more information on the registration procedure, click here.

​With any of the above, we would be happy to guide you through this either in person or over the telephone, which is manned 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.