When Someone Dies
Information and Guidance on what to do when someone dies.
Contact us at Tranquility Funerals on 01387 266506.
We are available 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
When someone dies at home
You should be contacting your loved ones GP as soon as possible.
If the death occurs out with normal surgery times however, you should seek advice from NHS 24 by calling 111.
If your loved one was being attended to by district nurses, their death can be verified by one of the nurses, provided they have the required experience. It is still the responsibility of the GP however to issue the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. This is also known as the MCCD. This certificate will then be sent electronically by the GP, directly to the registrars office, usually within 24 hours. This will enable you to contact the registrars and begin to register the death.
As soon as death has been verified by a doctor, nurse or a paramedic, and it is clear that there is no reason why the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death cannot be issued, your loved one can be brought into our care, by one of our caring Funeral Directors, no matter the time of day or night by calling us directly on 01387 266506.
If the death is at home but was sudden, suspicious, accidental, unexpected and unexplained, you should contact the Police. You should not touch or move the deceased or anything in the home. The death is likely to be reported to the Procurator Fiscal and the Police will instruct their agreed personnel to convey the deceased to the Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary Mortuary, until a decision has been made to whether a post mortem may have to be carried out to establish cause of death.
When someone dies in hospital or professional care
When a loved one passes away in a hospital, unless you are present, you will be notified by the nursing staff as soon as possible. The duty doctor will complete the MCCD. This may not happen immediately. It is not uncommon for the MCCD not to be issued for at least 24 hours after death has occurred.
Following which, your loved one will be taken to the mortuary in the hospital. We advise getting in touch as soon as possible and we can begin to make arrangements.
The MCCD will be sent electronically by the verifying doctor, directly to the registrars office. This usually happens within 24 hours. This will enable you to contact the registrars and begin to register the death.
Should your loved one pass away in a hospice or professional care, the care home will contact the on call GP to verify the passing. Once the death has been verified, the care home will need to contact Tranquility Funerals and one of our dignified Funeral Directors will bring your loved one into our care.
When a death is sudden or unexpected
When someone dies suddenly as the result of an accident or in a situation where the deceased’s GP feels unable to issue a death certificate, the death and the circumstances surrounding will become a matter for the Procurator Fiscal.
Usually, the Procurator Fiscal or their representatives, the police, will engage a contracted undertaker to convey the deceased to the mortuary. A post-mortem may be required. Once the Procurator Fiscal’s enquiries have been completed, a death certificate will be issued.
Early contact with us is strongly recommended so that we can advise and guide you on the various procedures. You should, however, be aware, that we will not be able to book a date and time for the funeral until you or we have been contacted by the Procurator Fiscal to confirm that all investigations have been concluded and the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) has been issued.
We are here to make life as easy as possible in difficult times, whatever the circumstances. Our empathetic, expert staff will offer all the practical and emotional support you need.
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