When Someone Dies

If a death has occurred unexpectedly, you need to call 999. They will inform you of what needs to be done next. 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.

During the next working days, the Coroner’s office will be in contact with the next of kin to ask who your appointed funeral director is, and if you wish for a burial or cremation service. It is their duty to keep you informed of what will happen next. It is not unusual for a Post-Mortem examination to be required when an unexpected or sudden death occurs.

You do not need to contact us immediately following a sudden death but please do contact us as soon as you are ready so we can take the required information and to help guide you gently through this difficult time.

If a loved one has been on end of life care at home, the chances are that you have been looking after them yourself, along with the help of medical professionals – We understand that it can be extremely difficult to say goodbye to them.

If somebody has expectedly passed away at home, your first action should be to telephone the deceased’s doctor who has been overseeing their care; they will organise to come and confirm the death of your loved one. If it happens when the surgery is closed, you should call 111 and an out of hours doctor will visit to verify the death.

Once the doctor has attended and verified the death, you can now contact us. We will arrange for our team to come to your home, and bring your loved one safely into our care. If possible, we ask that we can bring clothing back with us, that you wish your loved one to be dressed in.

Please be aware, until the doctor has attended, UK Law prevents us from being able to bring the deceased into our care.

We are more than happy to offer advice and information in the mean time if you have any questions.

We are able to answer any questions you may have whilst in your home, but will then leave you in peace until we have been able to speak to the registered doctor’s surgery to organise that the relevant paperwork be completed.

Depending on the hospital that your loved one passes away in, there are different processes that each one follows.

If at Treliske Hospital, Truro, or at Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, the bereavement team will be in contact with the next of kin to ask if burial or cremation and who your chosen funeral director is. They will ensure all relevant paperwork is completed, before releasing your loved one into our care.

We suggest that you speak to the bereavement team the next working day, if they haven’t already contacted you.

Treliske Bereavement 01872 252713. Derriford Bereavement 01752 439492/439743.

In some cases, the doctor that has been caring for your loved one will need to refer the death to the coroner – You will be informed if this needs to happen, and it is not anything to be concerned about. There are a few possible outcomes from a coroners referral – If you have any questions, please speak to us about this.

We ask that once you have spoken to the hospital, you then contact us to provide details of your loved one, and next of kin details. We ask you to provide clothing for them to be dressed in, and will make an appointment to discuss the funeral arrangements, at a mutually convenient time and place.

We are very lucky to have Mount Edgcumbe Hospice right here in St Austell, and St Julia’s hospice in Hayle; both amazing facilities to have locally when a loved one is terminally ill.

When somebody passes away at a hospice or community hospital, the staff organise the paperwork to be issued by the doctor that has been looking after your loved one. The hospice or hospital staff will keep you informed of the process. Please ensure they are aware that we are your chosen funeral director. Although they will contact us once they are ready for your loved one to be transferred into our care, it is a good idea to contact us directly so that we can speak with you, comfort you, and ensure we have all of the details we need.

Once your loved one is in our care, we will speak with you to arrange an appointment to discuss the funeral arrangements, at a mutually convenient time and place.

We have lots of care and residential homes in our local area. When the time comes that somebody passes away, the home will inform you. It is important that they have up to date details of your chosen funeral director. Once the death has been verified, they will contact us so that we can bring your loved one safely into our care. We ask that you contact us also, so we can ensure all details are correct, and that we have permission to look after your loved one. In these cases, the registered GP will issue the relevant paperwork – we will contact the GP to ensure it is in hand.