Please accept our condolences at this time. We hope you find the following information helpful in understanding the next steps to take.
Registering a death
By law in England and Wales, all deaths must be certified by a doctor or a coroner registered with a Registrar of Births, Marriages and Deaths. Before a death can be registered, the cause of death will need to be agreed with the Medical Examiner.
Medical Examiners and cause of death
The Medical Examiners have been involved for several years in reviewing all deaths that take place in hospital and this is being introduced to review all deaths outside of hospital. This should not lead to any significant delay in the death certificate being issued, but please be aware that the Medical Examiner team only work regular business hours.
When someone dies in the hospice the doctors will determine what they feel was the cause of death. A report will be made which will be emailed to the Medical Examiner’s office in Broomfield Hospital. The Medical Examiners and their Officers will review the notes and the report. They will look through the notes to identify any issues and decide if they agree with the hospice doctor’s cause of death.
They will also contact you, the next of kin, as part of their review of the notes to ensure that there are no concerns or issues that haven’t already been identified. The Medical Examiner’s office will then contact the hospice to confirm if the death certificate can be completed by our doctors, or if a Coroner referral is needed.
Medical certificate
A doctor who has attended the person during their last illness (within the last 28 days) will usually sign the medical certificate stating the cause of death. A doctor who has not seen the person in the last 28 days, but did attend the person during their illness and saw them after their death, can also sign the medical certificate.
Once the Medical Examiner has agreed the cause of death, the hospice doctors will complete the medical certificate and send this back to the Medical Examiner. The Medical Examiner will countersign the medical certificate and email it directly to the Registrar. This can take a few days to complete, so once you are contacted by the Medical Examiner agreeing cause of death, please contact your local Registry office after 48 hours to make an appointment. This should then allow enough time for all stages of the medical certificate to be completed.
If a referral to the coroner is required, then the coroner will issue the medical certificate and there is likely to be a delay. This can be explained to you in more detail by our hospice staff.
Who can notify a death to a registrar?
- A relative of the person who has died
- A person who was present at the time of the person’s death
- The person who is giving instructions to the funeral directors
- The matron or manager of an institution responsible for the person and who knew the cause of death.
How can you register a death?
- Once you receive the telephone call from the Medical Examiner agreeing cause of death, please allow 48 hours and then book an appointment with the Registry office. This should allow enough time for the medical ceritificate to be processed. All appointments must be in person.
To book an appointment please visit essex.gov.uk/register-a-death
If you do not have access to the internet, you can contact the registration offices in mid Essex by phone on: 0345 603 7632 Monday to Friday between 8.30am and 5pm.
Further advice and guidance
If you require any further advice or guidance on registering a death, please speak to a member of Farleigh staff or contact our advice line on 01245 455478.
Bereavement services
If not already offered to you, a member of our team may be in touch to offer bereavement support, however, you can also contact our bereavement services at any time if you feel this is something you or your family would benefit from.
Contact our Circle Adult Bereavement Service on: 01245 457308 or our Yo-Yo Young Adult and Child Bereavement Service on: 01245 457416