Questions about arranging a funeral

What happens next depends on where the person died and whether the death was expected. If someone dies at home, the death will need to be verified by an appropriate professional. In a hospital or hospice, the staff will guide you through the immediate steps. Our guide to what to do when someone dies explains the process in more detail.

If the death was expected, contact the GP or out-of-hours medical service to arrange for the death to be verified. You can spend some time with the person before they are brought into our care. Once the death has been verified and any necessary permissions are in place, our on-call team can arrange collection. If the death is unexpected, call 999 and follow the advice you receive.

The hospital or hospice team will explain its procedures and the medical paperwork. If you appoint Poetic Endings, we can liaise with the relevant staff and arrange for the person who has died to come into our care when they are ready to be released. You can choose your own funeral director, regardless of which hospital or hospice is involved.

In England and Wales, deaths that are not being investigated by a coroner are reviewed by a medical examiner. The medical examiner’s office will tell you when you can register the death. You should register it within five days of that confirmation, unless an exception applies. The registrar will issue the paperwork needed for the burial or cremation. Read the current government guidance.

You do not need to make every decision immediately. Using a funeral director is not a legal requirement, and you are free to compare providers, their approaches and their costs. If you would like to speak to us before making a decision, that is absolutely fine.

At our funeral home on Davids Road in Forest Hill. We have state-of-the-art mortuary facilities where we look after people in our care. We can explain our procedures and answer questions about what happens after someone is brought to us. Explore our funeral home.

Yes. We have a chapel of rest where you can arrange a private visit. Some people find visiting important; others prefer not to. We can talk you through what a visit involves, what to expect and what might be possible in your circumstances.

Yes. You can choose the clothes and jewellery you'd like the person to wear, and let us know about letters, flowers or other personal items you'd like placed with them. There may be practical or crematorium restrictions on certain objects, so we will check and explain these before anything is placed in the coffin.

We arrange for the person who has died to be collected from their home, a care home, hospital or hospice, depending on the circumstances. The arrangements and any charges depend on the place and time of collection. Our out-of-hours team can organise a collection and pass on messages for our funeral directors.

Traditional funerals, simple gatherings, natural burials, direct cremations and funerals in places you might never have thought possible. We offer Tailored Funerals, Simple Morning Funerals and Direct Cremation. You do not need to know which service suits you before speaking to us.

A direct cremation takes place without a ceremony or mourners attending the crematorium. At Poetic Endings, the cremation is arranged at Honor Oak Crematorium, with the person cared for beforehand at our Forest Hill funeral home. Some people arrange a separate gathering or memorial at another time. Find out about direct cremation.

No. Depending on the venue’s permission and practical arrangements, a funeral ceremony can be held in a garden, a historic building, a community space or somewhere else meaningful. Burial or cremation may then take place separately. Explore alternative funeral venues in London.

Yes. We arrange funerals at natural and woodland burial grounds in and around London. Each ground has its own rules about coffins, memorials, planting and the use of the space. We can help you understand the differences. Explore natural burial grounds.

Not necessarily. Some people choose a religious minister or an independent celebrant; others prefer to lead the ceremony themselves, share music or readings, or sit together quietly. The venue and type of funeral may affect what can happen, and we can explain your options.

Yes, subject to suitability and any requirements of the burial ground or crematorium. We can talk through coffins, flowers, transport, music, printed orders of service and other details, as well as what you may prefer to leave out. Browse our coffin guide.

Yes. We also arrange funerals following pregnancy loss, stillbirth and the death of a baby or child. These arrangements call for a different kind of conversation, with time to consider what would feel right. Read about funerals for babies and children.

It depends on the type of funeral, venue, coffin, transport and other choices. Our website sets out our principal services and their fees, with information about additional and third-party costs. Explore our services and costs or see examples of funeral costs.

Yes. We will prepare an itemised estimate covering our fees, the things you have chosen and the third-party charges we know about. If arrangements or costs change, we will explain them. You can ask questions about any part of the estimate before deciding how to proceed.

There can be. You may prefer a shorter service, fewer vehicles, a simpler coffin or not to include certain extras. Some costs, such as cremation or burial fees, are set by other organisations. We will explain the options without assuming you want the most elaborate arrangement.

Please tell us. We can help you understand the costs and consider simpler arrangements. You may also be eligible for government assistance depending on your circumstances. Read about Funeral Expenses Payment on GOV.UK.

You can read our Standardised Price List, Additional Options Price List, terms of business and other published disclosures through our price information page. Our CMA Standardised Price List (PDF) is also linked directly from the website footer.

Our funeral home is at 37 Davids Road, Forest Hill, London SE23 3EP. We arrange funerals throughout London and can sometimes work further afield. You do not need to live in Forest Hill to appoint us.

Yes. You are welcome to make an appointment at our Forest Hill funeral home, or arrange a conversation by telephone or video call. We can talk through your questions and help you decide whether you would like us to arrange the funeral. Contact Poetic Endings.

Yes. Our telephone line, 020 4525 8318, is answered 24 hours a day. Outside normal office hours, our on-call team can arrange for someone who has died to be brought into our care and can take a message for our funeral directors to respond to during office hours.

Yes. We are committed to providing an inclusive and respectful service and to listening to each person’s wishes, relationships and identity. You can read our LGBTQIA+ inclusive funeral directors page and our Equalities Statement.

Yes. Poetic Endings is a member of the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF) and the Association of Green Funeral Directors. We are also recommended by the Good Funeral Guide and the Natural Death Centre.

Please contact us first so that we can listen to your concerns and seek to put things right. You can email funerals@poetic-endings.com. We are members of the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF), which provides a further route for unresolved complaints.

Yes. You can consider the kind of funeral you might want, where it could take place and what matters most to you, without committing to every detail. We have a free funeral wishes guide to help you put your thoughts into words. Explore planning your own funeral.

There are several possibilities, including keeping ashes, scattering them in a meaningful place (where permitted) or arranging an interment. For our direct cremation service, ashes can be collected from us afterwards. We can explain the practical options for the kind of cremation you are arranging.