What to Do Immediately After a Death

When a loved one passes away, the steps you need to take will depend on where the death occurred—whether in a hospital, at home, or abroad.
This guide provides essential information to help you navigate the process during this difficult time.

Died in Hospital

Notification and Care

Hospital staff will inform the next of kin, prepare the body, and transfer it to the hospital mortuary.

Personal Belongings

You will be asked to collect the deceased’s personal possessions from the hospital.

Medical Certificate

A doctor will issue a medical certificate, which is essential for registering the death.

Registration

The hospital typically sends the MCCD to the local Registrar of Births, Deaths, and Marriages. The registrar will then contact you to arrange an appointment to register the death or you can call them.

Find out more about registering a death

Post-Mortem Examinations

If the cause is unclear, the doctor may refer the case to a coroner who can mandate a post-mortem.

Find out more about post-mortem

Died at Home

Contact the Doctor

Notify the deceased’s Doctor promptly.
Despite the emotional difficulty, a doctor or trained health professional must formally confirm the death, a process known as ‘verifying the death,’ typically within two to three hours.

If the death was anticipated, the Doctor can issue you a medical certificate.

If you don’t know the person’s Doctor or can’t contact them contact the

• UK: National Health Service (NHS) on 111
• Ireland: Health Service Executive (HSE) 01 240 8787

Coroner Involvement

If the Doctor is uncertain about the cause of death, they must report it to the coroner. The body will be taken to a hospital mortuary, and a post-mortem may be necessary.

Died Abroad

If the person died abroad please see here.