Registration

The Government website is a useful source of information for the entire process and can be found HERE.

Every death that occurs within England and Wales will now go through one of two routes; either through the Coronial system (for unexpected and sudden deaths) or through the Medical Examiner system. 

If the Coroner is not involved, the death must be registered within 5 days (8 days in Scotland) from when a Medical Practitioner has completed the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (sometimes referred to as the Medical Certificate). Please be aware that this includes weekends and bank holidays. To book an appointment at your local Registrar, click HERE.

i) Coronial System

If the Coroner is involved it could be due to a number of reasons, namely: the cause of death is unknown, the death was violent or unnatural or the death was sudden and unexplained. For a full list of reasons the Coroner might be involved, please see the Government website HERE.

The Coroner may then take a number of courses of action:

• If the Coroner decides that the cause of death is clear, the usual doctor will sign the Medical Certificate and you can attend the Registrar in accordance with the instructions above.
• If the Coroner decides that a post-mortem examination is necessary to further explore the circumstances of death, this will occur at the earliest possible time following the death. The result will then be either of the following:
• If there is to be no further examinations following the post-mortem, there will be no Medical Certificate to collect, but you will attend the Registrar in accordance with the instructions above.
• If there is to be an inquest into the cause of death, the death cannot be registered until after the inquest. You will not need to attend the Registrar in person, as this will be done after the inquest by the Coroner.

ii) Medical Examiner System

Under the Medical Examiner system, the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death will be completed and signed by a Medical Practitioner, who is a medical profession who has attended the patient within their lifetime. Each death under this system will be reviewed by a Medical Examiner, who are senior doctors trained in the legal and clinical elements of the death certification process and provide independent scrutiny of the cause of death.

The Medical Examiner will perform the following roles:

• Agree the proposed cause of death and the overall accuracy of the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death with the Medical Practitioner completing it;
• Discuss the cause of death with bereaved families and establish if they have questions or any concerns with care before death;
• Act as a medical advice resource for the local coroner; and
• Identify cases for further review under local mortality arrangements and contribute to other clinical governance processes.

The two Medical Examiners offices for this area are Yeovil District Hospital and The Royal United Hospital, Bath which are both a point of contact for families after bereavement. They can tell you if they have received notification of the death, and if they have, where in the process of review they are. There are instances where the review may indicate a referral to the coroner is required.  The most common reason for this would be because the doctors attending the deceased may not be certain of the cause of death. Other reasons might be because the deceased had a fall and fracture or was undergoing treatment. The Medical Examiners team will be able to explain why the referral is needed and support with contact details for the coroners office.

If you have questions or concerns about the care your loved one received, the Medical Examiners team will do their best to explain what they can from the medical records. If needed, they will help you access answers to your questions by linking you up with the NHS organisation who provided that care through their Patient Liaison services or Complaints process. If you feel a coroner needs to be involved, we can facilitate that for you.

Yeovil District Hospital – 01935 384746

Royal United Hospital, Bath – 01225 428331

How to register

Before phoning the Registrar, you will need to ensure that the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death has been forwarded by the Medical Examiner to the Registrar’s Office. Once you have ensured this has happened, you can then book an appointment to attend your local Registrar’s Office.

Once you have made an appointment at the Registrar, you will need to take with you the following documents / information:

• The Medical Card
• Birth and / or Marriage Certificate
• Passport
• Driving Licence
• Details of any Government benefits received
• Full name and surname of the deceased
• Usual address of the deceased
• Date and place of death
• Date and place of birth
• Occupation and marital status
• National Insurance number

The items in bold above are essential to the Registrar, the other items are non-essential, but as part of the Tell Us Once service, the Government will be able to cancel them for you.

The Registrar will issue you with:

• Certified Copies of the Entry in the Register (sometimes referred to as Death Certificates) – these are Certificates that need to be provided to Banks, Building Societies, Insurance Companies etc. belonging to the deceased.
• Certificate of Registration (sometimes referred to as the White Certificate for the Department of Work and Pensions) – the Registrar will most likely retain this and send to the DWP themselves.

Tell Us Once

The Tell Us Once service is a Government initiative that allows people to report a death a number of Government details in one go. The facility means that the administration burden following the death of a loved one is somewhat reduced and streamlined. The service covers the following departments: Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), Department for Work and Pensions, Public Sector / Armed Forces Pension Schemes, Passport Office, Local Council and Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).

When you attend the Registrar, they will give you the contact details and provide you with a reference number to use ONLINE.

To use the service you will need the details of the person that has died including their date of birth, National Insurance number, driving licence number and passport number. You will also need specific information on benefits / pensions or local authority services like blue badges that you wish to cancel. You will also need contact details for the next of kin and the name and address of any surviving spouse or civil partner.