FAQ

When a death occurs unexpectedly please call 999. It is normal for the Coroner to be involved with a sudden death and the Coroner’s duty funeral director will take your loved one to the hospital. You can still select the funeral director of your choice to take care of the funeral arrangements.

If somebody passes away at home expectedly, your first action should be to telephone the deceased’s doctor who is required to confirm the death. If it happens when the surgery is closed, you should call 111 and an out of hours doctor will visit to verify the death, and inform you of what to do next.

All deaths in large hospitals are looked after by the bereavement team. If your loved one passes away at Treliske Hospital, Truro you should call the bereavement team the next working day on 01872 252713. For Derriford Hospital, Plymouth call 01752 439492/439743.

In these settings, the staff will usually arrange for the doctor to issue the medical cause of death certificate and cremation medicals, where appropriate, then contact the funeral director once the paperwork is completed so your loved one can be transferred into our care.

It is likely that the home will inform you of your loved ones passing. The home will ensure the death has been verified, before giving us permission to bring your loved one into our care. Please ensure the home has up to date details on your chosen funeral director.

We suggest that you contact us before the time of passing. It is important to us that we have your consent to bring a loved one into our care. If we can be provided with some details before your loved one passes away, we find it is beneficial for both you, and us. If you’re loved one is not at home, please ensure that where they are being cared for has up to date details of your wishes, so they can contact us when needed.

If your loved one has passed away at home, you should contact us once as a doctor or medical professional has verified the death – they will inform you that it is okay to contact your funeral director.

If your loved one passes away in hospital, you don’t need to contact us until you have spoken to the bereavement team.

For a death in a community hospital, hospice or care/residential home, please take guidance from the staff. The home will contact us when they are ready for us to bring your loved one into our care. It is important that we have received instruction from you, the family, initially

We encourage that you provide us with some details of your loved one before the time comes that they pass away, especially if they are on end of life care, or have a terminal illness– from experience, we know that this makes it a lot easier for the family, and we can talk you through the process to help put you at ease. Pre-planning of funeral arrangements can also be done at any stage.

A coroner’s duty is to establish the cause of death when a doctor is unable to issue a cause of death certificate. There are many reasons this might need to happen. If you are concerned, please talk to us.

There are many circumstances that could result in a death being referred to the coroner.  Some of the most common reasons could be if:

• The cause of death is unknown
• The deceased was not seen by a doctor within the 14 days before death
• The death was violent or unnatural or was suspicious
• The death may be due to an accident
• The death may be due to self-neglect or neglect by others
• The death may be due to an industrial disease or related to the deceased’s employment
• The death occurred during an operation or before recovery from the effects of an anaesthetic
• The death may be a suspected suicide

Yes you can, Tom and Stacey are here to look after you.

We are positioned in Mid Cornwall and look after families right across the county and beyond. Although we carry out funeral services in Cornwall, we are proud to support families out of the county in bringing their loved ones home or liaising with relatives from afar to make funeral arrangements via the telephone, email, zoom and using the post. We regularly visit families in St Columb, Par, Fowey, Lostwithiel, Tregony, Probus, Grampound and Newquay but also travel further for arrangements when families request us to look after their loved one. If you want us, we are here for you.

We have a Chapel of Rest at both of our premises, where appointments can be made if you wish to spend some time with your loved one.

Yes we do. Our funeral plans are written to your wishes at our current local fees, meaning you only pay for what you want to include. All funeral plans are provided and underwritten by one of the UK’s leading Funeral Plan Providers and are completely insured.

Donations should be payable to the charity (ideally by cheque) but sent to us at:

Paul Bourton Funeral Service
37-41 Truro Road
St Austell
PL25 5JE

Please include the name of the deceased on a note or on the back of the cheque. Some donations can be made via our funeral notices page or we can accept bank transfers into our donation account (details available on request). Donations are left open for approximately 1 month following the service.

At the crematorium or at graveside yes, when services are held in church or chapel we seek permission from the minister.

When at Penmount, Glynn Valley or Treswithian Downs, we book the music directly through the crematorium. For a graveside service, we provide the music (weather permitting) on our iPod and bring our speaker.

A funeral service is entirely your time. We do our utmost to make the wishes of you, the family, and your loved one a reality. There is no right or wrong way for a service to be held. It can be as structured or as relaxed as you want it to be. When we speak with you about arrangements, we can discuss all available options.

We can generally collect ashes from the crematorium the next working day following the cremation service. If we are aware you want them straight away, we make arrangements to collect them as soon as they are ready to be brought back into our care. Please always arrange an appointment to collect your loved one’s ashes from us.

Cremated remains are presented to us in a biodegradable box from the crematorium and this is how you will receive them unless you choose an alternative container – We are happy to discuss the options with you.

The Scattering Ashes website is an informative and helpful resource.

Please be aware that it is unlawful to scatter or bury cremated remains in a cemetery or churchyard without seeking the relevant permissions.