What to Do When Someone Dies at Home UK

The First Hour

If someone dies at home and the death was expected — they were under palliative care, a GP was managing their condition — you do not need to call 999. Phone the GP surgery or the out-of-hours service. A doctor or nurse will come to verify the death, confirming that life has ended. This is a clinical formality, not a legal certificate.

If the death was sudden or unexpected, call 999. The paramedics and then the police will attend. A sudden death is automatically referred to the coroner (or the Procurator Fiscal in Scotland), which pauses the normal registration process until they are satisfied with the cause of death.

Once death has been verified, contact a funeral director to arrange transfer to a funeral home or clinical refrigeration when the medical team authorises release. If you wish to spend time with the deceased at home, ask the funeral director how long this can safely continue and follow their guidance.

The Medical Examiner System

Since 9 September 2024, every non-coronial death in England and Wales passes through the Medical Examiner (ME) system before it can be registered. This is a significant change from the old process where a GP could issue a death certificate unilaterally.

Here is how it works: the attending doctor drafts the Attending Practitioner's Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (APMCCD). This goes electronically to the local ME office. A Medical Examiner — a senior doctor who had no involvement in the patient's care — reviews the medical records and the proposed cause of death.

Then an ME Officer phones the next of kin. This call lasts fifteen to thirty minutes. They explain the cause of death in plain language, answer questions about the care the deceased received, and ask whether the family has any concerns. If something does not add up, the ME can request further investigation or refer the case to the coroner.

Once the ME approves the certificate, it goes directly to the registrar's office. You can then book your registration appointment.

Scotland and Northern Ireland have different systems. Scotland does not yet operate the ME scrutiny model for all deaths — deaths are registered through a local registrar, with the record maintained by National Records of Scotland, and the deadline is eight days. Northern Ireland similarly does not use the ME system and has a five-day registration deadline.

Registering the Death

England and Wales: Register within five days of the Medical Examiner's confirmation at the local Register Office for the area where the death occurred. You will need the medical certificate (issued after ME scrutiny), the deceased's NHS medical card if available, and details of their full name, date and place of birth, occupation, and address. The registrar issues the Certificate for Burial or Cremation — known as the "green form" — which authorises the funeral director to proceed with burial or cremation.

Scotland: Register within eight days at the local registrar. The registrar issues a Certificate of Registration of Death (Form 14), which serves the same purpose as the English green form. Scotland's Tell Us Once service notifies multiple government agencies in a single step.

Northern Ireland: Register within five days at the district registrar. If the coroner was involved, their office issues a Coroner's Order; otherwise, the registrar issues the Standard Registrar's Disposal Permit.

When the Coroner Gets Involved

A coroner referral does not mean anything suspicious has happened. Coroners investigate deaths that are sudden, unexplained, occurred during surgery, or where the deceased had not seen a doctor within twenty-eight days. They also handle deaths in custody, deaths related to industrial disease, and any death where the cause is uncertain.

If the coroner opens an investigation, the body is held until they are satisfied. A post-mortem examination can add days. If an inquest is required — rare, but necessary in cases of unnatural death — the funeral may be delayed by weeks or months, though the coroner can sometimes release the body while the inquest continues.

The coroner issues their own documentation (an Order for Burial, Form 101, for burial, or Cremation Form 6 for cremation) once they are finished. You do not need the green form when the coroner is involved.

The Cremation Forms

If the family chooses cremation rather than burial, the paperwork depends on the jurisdiction and whether the coroner is involved. In England and Wales, the 9 September 2024 reform removed the former requirement for Cremation Forms 4 and 5 in non-coronial cases:

Cremation Form 4 (the former medical certificate): this requirement was removed for non-coronial deaths in England and Wales when the Medical Examiner system began.

Cremation Form 5 (the former confirmatory certificate): this requirement was also removed for non-coronial deaths in England and Wales. For deaths in other UK jurisdictions, different forms and procedures apply.

The Medical Examiner's scrutiny and the attending practitioner's MCCD now provide the medical certification route for non-coronial deaths in England and Wales. Your funeral director will know which process applies locally.

What to Do While You Wait

Between the death and the funeral, several practical tasks need attention: notifying the bank, contacting the employer or pension provider, arranging care for dependants, and informing close friends and the deceased's church community. The Tell Us Once service (England, Wales, and Scotland) handles most government notifications in a single call — DWP, HMRC, council tax, driving licence, passport, and state pension are all covered.

Our Protestant Funeral UK guide includes a day-by-day checklist covering everything from the first phone call to the funeral itself, with separate timelines for England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.