What to do when someone dies

A good funeral director will talk you through any aspects of the process that you need to know at this early stage. They will arrange a time to come and collect the person’s body to take them into their care until the funeral, (if this is what you want).  See also ‘Keeping the Body at Home’.

They will make sure that you know what to do and prepare you for the next steps; the authorities at each stage will be very helpful about what to do next as well.

Your funeral director will arrange a time to meet with you to discuss the funeral arrangements.

You can contact Family Tree on 01453 767 769 at any time for care and assistance 24/7.

Call the registrar of the district in which the death occurred, and arrange an appointment.

Gloucestershire Central Booking line: 01242 532 455

Stroud: The Old Victorian School, Parliament Street, Stroud, GL5 1DY 01452 425 275. Closed for lunch. 12.30- 1.30

Cheltenham: Council Offices, St. George’s Rd, GL50 3EW

Cirencester: Cirencester Library, The Waterloo, GL7 2PZ 1285 650 455. Check for opening times on the central booking line.

Forest of Dean: The Oaks, Belle Vue Centre, 6 Belle Vue Road, Cinderford, GL14 2AB Check for opening times on the central booking line.

Gloucester: 01452 425 275, Shire Hall, Westgate St. GL1 2TG

Moreton-in-Marsh: Moreton Library, Stow Road, GL56 0DR. Check for opening times on the central booking line.

Swindon: Civic Offices, Euclid Street, SN1 2JH Tel: 01793 521734 or 01793 522738

You need to meet with the Registrar within 5 days (not always possible if they are fully booked, but call as a priority anyway).

Who can register the death?

•    The next of kin, or a close relative of the person who has died.
•    A relative in attendance during the last illness
•    A relative living in the district
•    If none of the above are available, a person present at the time of death eg. The Officer in charge of the Nursing Home, a solicitor, an executor or the person paying the bill.

For the appointment you will need:

•    The certificate of “Cause of Death”, given to you by the person’s doctor.
•    Their medical card, if possible.
•    Birth and marriage certificates, if possible.
•    The registration number of the person’s ‘government pension’ (if applicable)

The information the registrar will require include:

•    The date and place of the person’s death
•    The full name of the person who has died and their maiden name (if relevant)
•    The date and place of their birth
•    Their occupation and home address
•    If the person is a married woman, her husband’s age and occupation.
•    Information as to whether the person was receiving any state benefits or pensions.

The Registrar will issue, and explain:

The Registrar’s Certificate for Burial or Cremation (The Green Form). This allows burial, or for an application for cremation to be made (see below). This form should be given to the Funeral Directors.

Certified Copies of an Entry. An official certificate that death has occurred and has been registered; additional copies will be needed for probate, bank/building society, and others involved in the administration of the person’s estate. (A small charge will be made for these, and generally at least four extra copies are needed, depending on how complex the ‘estate’.)

The Certificate of Registration of Death (Form 344/Form BD8 or White Form) for Dept. of Social Security, if applicable. The Registrar will also provide leaflets relating to bereavement benefits and income tax for the surviving spouse (if appropriate).

Do you yet know if you would like a burial or a cremation? If it is to be a cremation, the first doctor will arrange for a second doctor who will need to examine the person’s body. This usually happens in a hospital before the body is allowed to leave their premises. If the person dies at home, the first doctor will arrange for the second doctor to come to the premises of the funeral director, unless you would like the body to stay at home for a short while (we can advise on how best to do this.)

Generally a minimum of five full working days is required before a cremation can take place, due to the paperwork needed. Generally 7 – 10 days allows more time for travel, catering, service design etc. between the death and the cremation service.

Unless you want to operate without a funeral director, Family Tree will handle all of the necessary paperwork for the cremation on your behalf.

Local Crematoria

Cheltenham: GL52 5JT. Northern edge of the town towards Prestbury, on Bounder’s Lane. Older, gothic, slightly cheaper. 45 minute service time

Gloucester: GL44PA. Turn right off the A38 Northern bypass, just after the Barton St/Painswick Rd. roundabout coming from Stroud. Rectangular, functional, close. Good cafe.

Westerleigh: BS37 8QP. West off the A46, before the M4 roundabout coming from Stroud. Further, but nicer. Saturday service possible.

Others:

Forest of Dean: GL14 3HU. Opposite the Dilke Hospital on the Speech House/Coleford Rd from Cinderford.

Swindon, Kingsdown: SN25 6SG. East off the A419 Swindon bypass.

Bath, Haycombe: BA2 2RQ. South of Bath, off the A39/A4 heading towards Wells.

Permission for the body to be buried is granted through the ‘Green Form’ (Certificate for Burial or Cremation) issued by the Registrar following the visit by the family.

A family who have a relationship with the minister will usually contact the minister personally, asking if they will conduct the funeral, and suggest two or three alternative dates and times. We can do this for you.

The Minister/Council Officer designates and marks the grave to be prepared. The funeral director confirms and arranges all the details for the preparation, such as the size of the coffin, the required depth of the grave (single or double), the date and time of the funeral, and whether the family are likely to want to fill in the grave themselves after the committal.

The funeral director will also liase with the minister to establish and confirm the fine details of the arrangements.

If the family are not religious, Family Tree can recommend an appropriate and experienced celebrant who will work with them to create and conduct the kind of ceremony you want.

7. Organ donation/ Medical research?

This will need to have been discussed with the doctor in advance of death, and preparations will already be in place, as all arrangements need to happen immediately – or very soon after – the person has died (a cornea must be donated within 12 hours…..but every other organ is extremely urgent). If the person wished to donate his/her organs, the next of kin must also have given their approval. The body can be released after the specific organs have been removed.

Your doctor will also advise about the possibility of donating the person’s body for medical research, and will tell you that not every person is suitable to make this donation.

To return the person’s body back to their home country from the UK, or to bring a body home to the UK from abroad, the Coroner’s permission is required, usually at least 4 days in advance. There are very specific requirements for the closing of the coffin by Customs and Excise, and specialised regulations depending on the country to which the person is being sent. Family Tree can handle all of these arrangements for you, in conjunction with our worldwide agents.

Some short time after the person dies someone needs to deal with their ‘estate’ – their money, property, possessions, and other issues arising from the will. This involves collecting all the information and monies, paying any debts and distributing the estate to those entitled. Usually – but not always – a solicitor will be appointed to handle this.

If you are not planning to use a solicitor, we know a kindly expert who will work with you to expedite these complicated matters at a fraction of the cost of a solicitor. You could call David Martin directly and have a chat: 07973 405 997. dcmartin@hotmail.co.uk. He comes highly recommended by other clients.

Otherwise you can obtain the required forms from your nearest Probate Office. You may have to attend an informal interview to confirm the details on the form and to discuss any queries.

The Probate Office (Registry) issues a document called “the grant representation”. There are two basic types of grant/deed:

1. Probate – issued to one or more of the executors named in the will.
2. Letters of Administration – issued when there is a will but no executor has been named (or one named is unable to deal with the estate), or when the person has not left a will, (or the will is considered invalid).

The need for a grant:

Organisations holding money in the person’s name need to know to whom the monies are to be paid. The distribution of the estate is the responsibility of the person named in the deed.

A grant is sometimes not needed if the person’s money can be released without the holder of the monies needing to see a grant – i.e. when the amount is small and there are no complications.

Probate office:

Gloucester Probate Sub-Registry, 2nd Floor, Combined Court Building, Kimbrose Way, Gloucester GL1 2DC. Tel: 01452 522585 General Helpline: 0845 302090

At some point, you will probably need to contact at least some of the following organisations:

Car:

The car insurance company (if you were insured under the deceased person’s name). DVLA, to return their driving license, and change registration details.

Residential affairs:

• Landlord/Local Council/Home Insurance Company.
• Utility and service providers.
• Post Office, to re-direct mail. The Bereavement Trust, who will arrange to take the
• person’s name off all mailing lists to avoid future unsolicited mail.
• Dentists/opticians/hospitals etc. to cancel appointments, and to amend their patient lists.

Finance:

• Banks/Building Societies to close or amend account details.
• Life Insurance companies to claim entitlements.
• Social Security, to claim any pension or bereavement benefit to which you may be entitled.
• Inland Revenue, Pension Plan Providers, Credit and Store Card companies.
• Return National Insurance documents/State Benefit documents/Passport/Library books and tickets/and any season tickets/TV licenses and claim for a refund.

Death can be a uniquely shocking time for a family, and no two people are affected in the same way; there is an increasing body of literature and media attention on the subject of Death and Dying, as well as workshops, Death Cafe’s and so on. But it’s different when it’s actually happening/ happened to someone close to you.

Please contact Family Tree if you want to go over anything, and consider making use of these friendly, understanding and practical support organisations – or any other sources of support.

Cruse Bereavement Support: 0844 477 9400
www.crusebereavementcare.org.uk

The Bereavement Trust
www.bereavement-trust.org.uk

If children or young adults are involved, the Cruse young person’s helpline is 0808 808 1677
info@rd4u.org.uk

Children’s bereavement advice and help
www.childbereavement.org.uk

Winston’s Wish specialises in helping bereaved families with children. Tel: 08452 03 04 05
www.winstonswish.org.uk

Death Cafe’s: informal, but facilitated self help groups who meet over tea and cake to discuss and share and explore issues about death. www.deathcafe.com