BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT
You don't have to deal with grief alone.
If you’ve sadly suffered a bereavement and aren’t sure where to start, please call our friendly staff on our dedicated line at 01226 700760. There will always be someone to answer your phone call 24/7, 365 days a year.
Initial steps when losing a loved one:
WHEN SOMEONE PASSES AWAY AT HOME.
​If someone has passed away at home, and they have been struggling with their health and the death is expected please contact their registered GP practice (throughout daytime hours), the district nurse or the NHS out of Hours Team on 111 to get the death certified by a medical professional.
Once the death has been certified by a Doctor, a qualified nurse or paramedic you should contact us on our dedicated line 01226 700760 so that we are able to take some particulars regarding the person who’s passed, the N.O.K details and arrange our dedicated on-call team to proceed and collect the person who has sadly passed away and look after them at our dedicated chapel of rest.
We will instruct the last Doctor who has been treating the person for their illness to complete the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death and submit a referral to the Medical Examiner’s office ready for the death being scrutinised. In some cases, a death will be referred to the coroner for investigation. Once the Corners investigations are completed, he/she will contact you and will provide written notification to the registrar for the registration to proceed. Otherwise, once scrutinised the Medical Examiner Officers will email a copy of the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death to the Registration Office.
Upon receipt of the paperwork, they will contact the next of kin to arrange an appointment. A death must be registered within five days from the date the Registration Office receives the paperwork from the Medical Examiner. This period can be extended if the coroner is involved and in some other exceptional circumstances.
WHEN SOMEONE PASSES AWAY IN A CARE HOME/NURSING HOME OR HOSPICE.
If someone has passed away at a care home/nursing home or hospice, please allow the
care staff to follow their own bereavement process and they will usually inform us and
request our services once they’ve ensured the death has been certified. If you aren’t present once we arrive, we will contact you the next day to touch base, explain the next steps and clear up any questions that you may have. We will instruct the last Doctor who has been treating the person for their illness to complete the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death and submit a referral to the Medical Examiner’s office ready for the death being scrutinised. In some cases, a death will be referred to the coroner for investigation. Once the Corners investigations are completed, he/she will contact you and will provide written notification to the registrar for the registration to proceed. Otherwise, once scrutinised the Medical Examiner Officers will email a copy of the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death to the Registration Office. Upon receipt of the paperwork, they will contact the next of kin to arrange an appointment. A death must be registered within five days from the date the Registration Office receives the paperwork from the Medical Examiner. This period can be extended if the coroner is involved and in some other exceptional circumstances.
WHEN SOMEONE PASSES AWAY IN HOSPITAL.
When someone passes away in a hospital they will be looked after in their onsite Mortuary until the Medical Certificate of Cause Death has been completed by the last Doctor that has been treating the person for their illness. We will inform the hospital’s bereavement office that we are looking after the funeral arrangements, and they’ll instruct the last Doctor who has been treating the person for their illness to complete the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death and submit a referral to the Medical Examiner’s office ready for the death being scrutinised. In some cases, a death will be referred to the coroner for investigation. Once the Corners investigations are completed, he/she will contact you and will provide written notification to the registrar for the registration to proceed. Otherwise, once scrutinised the Medical Examiner Officers will email a copy of the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death to the Registration Office. Upon receipt of the paperwork, they will contact the next of kin to arrange an appointment. A death must be registered within five days from the date the Registration Office receives the paperwork from the Medical Examiner. This period can be extended if the coroner is involved and in some other exceptional circumstances. Once this process has concluded, we will be able to proceed and make the person comfortable in our
care.
WHEN SOMEONE DIES SUDDENLY.
If someone has passed away at any home or any other location and the death isn’t
expected, please contact 999 for immediate medical assistance and there may be a need for the Police to attend which will be initiated from the paramedics who attend. Once this process has been dealt with by emergency services, they will inform you that you are able to proceed and contact us on our dedicated line 01226 700760, or they may kindly do this for you.
A Coroners referral will be done automatically by the Police who attend the death, this will be submitted digitally, and it’ll go into an allocation queue. Once the death has been allocated to a coroner officer, he/she will contact you to inform you of the next steps. This may result in a post mortem examination, an inquest or they may decide to allow the doctors who’ve been treating the person to complete the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. Once the Corners investigations are completed, he/she will contact you and will provide written notification to the registrar for the registration to proceed. The local coroner’s office can be contacted on 01924 302 180 (Wakefield) or 0114 273 8721 (Barnsley) for further assistance.
Steps taken by us after we’ve arrived:
1
When our staff members arrive, they will put you at ease and discuss the next stages of the bereavement process and will clear up any questions that you may have. We will transfer the person that’s passed away in our private ambulance to our chapel of rest and start the process of looking after them.
2
We will contact you to make an appointment to sit down together to discuss funeral arrangements, this can be done either at our offices located in Royston/Ryhill, our chapel of rests located in Kinsley/Havercroft or at the comfort of your own home by appointment. We do offer evenings and weekend appointments as we understand that families have different commitments and schedules.
3
At the arranged appointment our experienced team will discuss the funeral details and find out exactly what service you think would be appropriate for the person who’s passed away. We will discuss the coffin selection, the provision of floral tributes and provide an itemised estimate sheet that clearly explains the costings of our services.
Registering the Death:
A death must be registered in person and the registration must take place in the district
where the death occurred. Once scrutinised the Medical Examiner Officers will email a copy of the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death to the Registration Office. Upon receipt of the paperwork, they will contact the next of kin to arrange an appointment.
A death must be registered within five days from the date the Registration Office receives the paperwork from the Medical Examiner. This period can be extended if the coroner is involved and in some other exceptional circumstances.
If the death occurred in the Wakefield district, you will be able to register in person at one of the offices shown below:
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Wakefield Register Office
Town Hall
Wood Street
Wakefield
WF1 2HQ
Pontefract Register Office
Town Hall
Bridge Street
Pontefract
WF8 1PG
Or alternatively, if a death occurred in the Barnsley district, you will be able to register in
person at the office shown below:
Barnsley Register Office,
Town Hall,
Barnsley,
S70 2TA
If it is difficult for you to get to the Registration Office, you may visit your local Register Office and declare the necessary information. Please be mindful that registration by declaration will usually delay the issue of the document needed for the funeral arrangements.
Who can register a death
The primary responsibility for registering a death rests with the closest relative by blood or marriage. If no relative is available to register, please contact the Registration Office for advice.
The appointment
When the Registration Office contact you, it will be by telephone and from a withheld
number, they will arrange an appointment for you to attend either the Wakefield, Pontefract or Barnsley Register office.
The appointment will be confirmed by email. It is important that you arrive on time for your appointment. The appointment will last approximately 30 minutes.
The registrar will require certain information from you to register the death, this can be found here: https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/media/y3mb152l/annex-a-informants.pdf
Documents relating to the deceased that may be helpful but are not essential at the point of registration are:
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Passport and/ or Birth Certificate
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Proof of Address i.e. utility bill
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Deed Poll (if applicable)
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NHS Medical Card
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Marriage and /or Civil Partnership Certificates – including any from previous relationships which are available
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What documents you will receive from the registrar
After the information has been recorded the registrar will issue the necessary forms and certificates. Death certificates can be purchased at a statutory fee of £12.50 each.
The Form 9 (green form) - the forms required to proceed with the funeral arrangements will be given to you at the end of the appointment to pass on to the funeral director.
Tell us Once
Tell Us Once is a free local and central government bereavement notification service. Tell us Once will contact government and local council services on your behalf, following a death registration.
This short information video provides further information:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egkHE6y2rpg
At the end of your appointment the registrar will issue you with a unique reference number so that you can use the service online or by phone.
For more information visit the GOV.UK advice page here:
https://www.gov.uk/after-a-death/organisations-you-need-to-contact-and-tell-us-once
Life Ledger
Life Ledger is a free, easy-to-use service that allows families to inform companies such as banks, insurance, gas, water, telecoms, and social media, connected to the deceased, from one place. Please visit their website for more information.
The Wakefield & Pontefract registrar’s can be contacted on 0345 4 852 888
More information can be found on their website regarding the registering process:
https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/births-marriages-and-deaths/what-to-do-after-a-death/register-a-death/
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The Barnsley registrar’s can be contacted on 01226 773555.
More information can be found on their website regarding the registering process:
If you are unsure, please contact us on 01226 700760 where we will be able to guide you.