What to do when someone dies?

Facing a bereavement and confronting the reality that someone close to you has died is always a very confusing and difficult time. We are

able to advise you on all the practical arrangements and procedures that must be dealt with in order to organise a funeral service, and the

subsequent burial or cremation. It is common that people are unsure of what to do following a bereavement and the following

information offers some initial guidance on the first steps that must be taken immediately following a death.

For information relating to the registration of the death, and how to obtain the necessary certificates and paperwork for the arrangement

of the funeral and the administration of the estate.

When someone dies in hospital

The nursing staff on your relative's ward or unit will make arrangements for a Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death to be issued by

the doctor. You will need to collect this document, along with any belongings, from the hospital. If the funeral is to be followed by

cremation, please advise the hospital staff so they can make arrangements for the Medical Certificates for Cremation to be completed.

Contact Tunbridge Wells Independent Funeral Directors (Telephone: 01892-676869) as soon as possible so that the initial arrangements

for the preparation of the deceased and for the funeral services can be made.

When someone dies at home, or in a nursing home or hospice

The first contact should be with the deceased's doctor who, if satisfied with the cause of death, will issue the Medical Certificate of the

Cause of Death. In some cases you may be asked to collect the certificate from the surgery.

In the case of a nursing home or hospice death, their staff should liaise with the doctor. If the funeral is to be followed by cremation,

please advise the nursing home or general practitioner's surgery staff so they can make arrangements for the Medical Certificates for

Cremation to be completed.

Contact Tunbridge Wells Independent Funeral Directors (Telephone: 01892-676869) as soon as possible so that we can arrange for the

transfer of the deceased to the funeral home, and so that the initial arrangements for the preparation of the deceased and for the funeral

services can be made.

When someone dies suddenly or unexpectedly, or under suspicious circumstances

When someone dies unexpectedly, Her Majesty's Coroner is automatically involved and an investigation is begun. If the deceased has not

been under a doctor's care on a regular basis, the emergency doctor, or any police involved, will inform the relevant Coroner’s office.

Your initial contact in the event of an unexpected or suspicious death, should be with the Police; for the contact details of the Kent Police

Force . Contact Tunbridge Wells Independent Funeral Directors (Telephone: 01892-676869) as soon as possible so that the initial

arrangements for the preparation of the deceased and for the funeral services can be made.

Please inform the police officer present if you would prefer Tunbridge Wells Independent Funeral Directors to handle the transfer of the

deceased from the place of death to the Coroner's mortuary in some cases that is up to the Coroner.

When someone dies away from home or abroad

Contact Tunbridge Wells Independent Funeral Directors (Telephone: 01892-676869) as soon as possible so that we can arrange for the

transfer of the deceased to the funeral home or the repatriation of the deceased to the United Kingdom, and so that the initial

arrangements for the preparation of the deceased and for the funeral services can be made.

If a person has died whilst living, working or traveling outside of the United Kingdom, please see the International Repatriation section of

this website for further information.

For immediate service and attention, and for emergency assistance, 24 hours a day,

please call 01892 676869