Beyond goodbyes
The Practical Process and Informing Others
The Practical Process and Informing Others
It's never easy to deal with a death
If the death was expected, a doctor should be contacted as soon as possible. This will be your loved one’s GP, or if the death occurs outwith surgery opening times, the out of hours doctor should be contacted via NHS 24 on 111. In some circumstances district nurses can also verify the death. Once the death has been confirmed by a medical professional, we are then able to bring your loved one into our care, no matter what time of day or night.
Once we are informed of the death, either by you or the place of death, we will then take care of all practical matters. For a death in a hospital, the Ward Doctor will issue the death certificate, which they will send directly to the registrar. For a death in a care home or nursing home, the GP will issue the death certificate, which they will send directly to the registrar.
In these circumstances the death will be referred to the Procurator Fiscal for further investigation. In certain cases the Procurator Fiscal will instruct a post mortem examination to be carried out in order to establish the cause of death. Once the Procurator Fiscal is satisfied with the cause of death, the death certificate can then be issued. The death certificate will be issued by the original doctor who referred the death, or by the pathologist at the hospital if there was a post mortem examination carried out.
Contact us at any time, day or night to make your arrangements