The first steps depend on where the person died and whether the death was expected. This guide explains what needs to happen now, what can wait and when a funeral director becomes involved.
You do not need to know what kind of funeral you want before speaking to us.
Choose the description that applies. The first contact is different depending on whether the person died at home, in a care setting, in hospital or unexpectedly.
Use the contact number given by the community nursing or palliative care team if you have one. Otherwise call the person’s GP during opening hours or NHS 111 out of hours.
A trained healthcare professional must verify that the person has died. Once verification is complete, a funeral director can bring them into care. There is usually no need to rush, including if the death happens during the night.
Read our guide to an expected death at home →Staff will arrange for the death to be verified and will follow their own procedures. Tell them which funeral director you would like to use.
We can speak directly with the home and arrange collection once verification and any required permissions are complete.
Contact Poetic Endings →The person who has died will remain in the care of the hospital or hospice while the medical paperwork, Medical Examiner review and release arrangements are completed.
You can choose a funeral director before this process is finished. We can contact the relevant team once you appoint us.
Find your hospital or hospice guide →Call 999 if someone has collapsed, you are unsure whether they have died, or the death was sudden and unexpected. Follow the instructions from the emergency services.
The police and coroner may become involved. The police or coroner may arrange for a funeral director to collect the person who has died and take them to a public mortuary. That funeral director is acting on the coroner’s instructions; you remain free to choose whichever funeral director you want to arrange the funeral.
Read our guide to an unexpected death at home →Once a healthcare professional has verified the death, you can spend some time with the person before the funeral director arrives.
You might sit with them, light a candle, play music, invite people to visit, or simply let things be quiet for a while. If it is the middle of the night and you are exhausted, you may decide to get some sleep. There is often no need to hurry through this liminal time.
Tell us when you would like us to come. If there are religious or cultural requirements, or burial needs to happen quickly, tell the healthcare team and funeral director as early as possible.
More about taking your time after a death at home →These terms are often confused. They are separate stages, handled by different people.
A trained healthcare professional confirms that the person has died. After an expected death at home, this is normally required before a funeral director can transfer the person into care.
An attending medical practitioner proposes the medical cause of death. An independent Medical Examiner reviews it unless the death is being investigated by a coroner.
The register office records the death. You can buy certified copies of the death certificate for dealing with the person’s affairs. This is different from the medical certificate.
You can speak to a funeral director while this process is happening. The medical and registration teams will tell you when each formal step can take place.
The doctor completes the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death, known as the MCCD, unless the death needs to be referred to the coroner.
The Medical Examiner is a senior doctor who was not involved in the person’s care. Their office reviews the proposed cause of death and offers you an opportunity to ask questions or raise concerns.
The Medical Examiner’s office then sends the MCCD to the register office and tells you when you can register the death.
Once the Medical Examiner’s office confirms that registration can proceed, the death should be registered within five days. This includes weekends and bank holidays. Contact the register office immediately if you need longer.
The registrar can also explain the Tell Us Once service, which notifies many government departments.
The registrar issues the Certificate for Burial or Cremation, often called the green form. It must reach the funeral director, crematorium or burial authority before the funeral can take place.
You can also buy certified copies of the death certificate for banks, insurers and other organisations.
You can begin discussing the funeral before registration, but we only confirm the date when the necessary medical, registration or coroner permissions are sufficiently clear.
A death may be reported to the coroner because the cause is unknown, the death may have been violent or unnatural, or there are other circumstances that require investigation.
The coroner’s officer will explain what happens next. You can still choose a funeral director and discuss the funeral while enquiries are continuing.
Wait until the coroner’s office confirms that the person can be released and the funeral can proceed.
If the coroner investigates, their office will tell you whether and when the death needs to be registered.
The coroner can often release the person once the necessary examinations are complete, even if an inquest will continue later.
The funeral director who collects the person on the instructions of the police or coroner does not have to arrange the funeral. You remain free to choose your own funeral director.
Poetic Endings is an independent funeral director based in Forest Hill, arranging funerals throughout London.
Call us when you need practical guidance, want to appoint a funeral director or are ready to begin discussing the funeral.
We arrange collection after verification or authorised release and care for the person who has died at our Forest Hill funeral home.
We can contact hospitals, hospices, care homes, Medical Examiner offices, coroners, crematoria and cemeteries as needed.
Our prices are published online. We explain third-party fees and provide a written estimate before you proceed.
One of our funeral directors guides the arrangements, coordinates the practical work and is there on the day.
You do not need to choose now. These are the three main starting points, with prices shown before you contact us.
For cremations, burials, church funerals, natural burial and ceremonies in other venues.
A shorter morning crematorium funeral with time for music, words or quiet reflection.
We care for the person who has died and arrange the cremation without anyone attending at the crematorium.
This page gives an overview. Our more detailed guides explain what happens after a death at home, in a London hospital or hospice, or when someone has been taken to a public mortuary under the coroner.
Expected and unexpected deaths follow very different routes. Our home-death guide covers who to call, what happens if someone dies at night, verification, collections from home, the coroner process and why there is often no need to rush after an expected death.
Our growing directory includes practical guides for London hospitals and hospices, with current bereavement contacts, Medical Examiner arrangements, registration information and what happens before your chosen funeral director can collect the person who has died.
A practical guide to the Inner South London Coroner process, including why someone may have been taken to Greenwich Public Mortuary, post-mortems, release, registration, inquests and choosing your own funeral director.
A practical guide to the Inner West London Coroner process, including post-mortems, release, registration, inquests and choosing your own funeral director while the coroner’s enquiries continue.
Call us on 020 4525 8318 if you would rather talk through what has happened.
No. There is no legal requirement to appoint a funeral director. You can arrange the funeral yourself, or ask a funeral director to handle all or part of the arrangements. If you would like professional help, you can contact one at any stage and ask for a written estimate before deciding. GOV.UK explains the options.
If the death was expected, follow the instructions in any end-of-life care plan. If you have a number for the community nursing or palliative care team, use it. Otherwise, call NHS 111 when the GP practice is closed for advice. If the death was sudden or unexpected, or you are unsure whether the person has died, call 999. You do not need to arrange a funeral director immediately; once a healthcare professional has verified the death, you can take some time and contact us when you are ready. Read our detailed night-time guidance.
Contact the funeral director you want to use and explain where the person has died. Ask for a written estimate showing the funeral director’s fees and any third-party costs. If the person is in hospital, a hospice or a care home, tell the bereavement or mortuary team who you have chosen. The funeral director can liaise with them about release and collection. You can make this choice before the death is registered.
Often, yes. After an expected death at home, a funeral director can normally collect once the death has been verified. From a hospital, hospice or coroner’s mortuary, collection happens when that organisation authorises release. Registration is a separate process.
Yes. You can appoint the funeral director you choose. Tell the bereavement or mortuary team who you have appointed.
No. The police or coroner may arrange for a funeral director to collect the person who has died and take them to a public mortuary. That funeral director is acting on the coroner’s instructions. You are free to appoint a different funeral director to arrange the funeral.
After an expected death at home, you can usually take some time once verification has taken place. The person who has died may be able to stay at home while you sit with them, light a candle, play music or allow people to visit. Read more about why there is often no rush. We can also arrange a private visit at our Forest Hill funeral home after the person is in our care.
Tell the healthcare team, Medical Examiner office, coroner where relevant, register office and funeral director as early as possible. Religious and cultural timing requirements can often be prioritised, but the necessary legal permissions must still be completed.
Tell Us Once is a government service that reports a death to many public bodies, including HMRC, DWP, the Passport Office, DVLA and the local council. The registrar will explain how to use it after registration, or after the coroner provides the relevant certificate.
Tell us before arrangements are confirmed. We can explain simpler options and provide a written estimate. Depending on your circumstances, you may be eligible for a Funeral Expenses Payment.
GOV.UK explains registration, the coroner process, Tell Us Once and arranging the funeral. Follow any specific instructions given by the healthcare team, Medical Examiner, register office or coroner.
You do not need to understand the whole process before calling. Tell us where the person died and what you have been told so far. We will explain the next practical step.
Guidance checked in November 2026. Medical, registration and coroner processes can vary with the circumstances, so follow the instructions given by the professionals involved.