When a death occurs

If the death occurs at home contact the general practitioner of the deceased. The GP will confirm death and issue a certificate stating the cause of death. The GP may give you the certificate straight away or advise you to collect it from the surgery later.

Medical certificates, for which there is a fee, must be prepared by 2 Drs, including the Dr that attended the deceased during their last illness. You must contact the surgery and request that these forms be prepared. These forms must be received at the Crematorium no later that 10.00am on the day previous to the funeral.

If the death occurs in hospital you will normally receive the certificate via the hospitals bereavement department.

Medical certificates, for which there is a fee, must be prepared by 2 Drs, including the Dr who attended the deceased during their last illness. Ask the bereavement department to prepare these forms. The forms must be received at the Crematorium no later that 10.00am on the day previous to the funeral.

When a death occurs and the doctor attending is unable to state the cause of death, or where a medical practitioner had not recently attended to the deceased, the Coroner will be informed. When the Coroner is satisfied that the cause of death has been identified the family will be issued with a certificate to enable registration of the death.

No medical certificate will be issued but rather the Coroner will issue a form 'Cremation 6'. Inform the coroner that you are dealing with the arrangements and request that this form be sent directly to you. This form must be received at the Crematorium no later that 10.00am on the day previous to the funeral.

Registering a death

The person arranging the funeral must take the certificate to the Registrar of Births and Deaths within five days of the death. Most Registrars' operate an appointment system, so it is worthwhile telephoning your registrar first. When the death is registered make sure all the details are given fully and correctly as it's very difficult getting any changes made later. The registrar will issue you with a 'Certificate for burial and cremation' and a 'Death certificate'. It is advisable to obtain extra copies of the death certificate at this time in order to be able to claim the deceased's assets at a later date.

If the Coroner has been involved you will only receive a 'Death certificate'.

Statutory forms

Certain forms are required before a cremation can take place. Please contact the Crematorium office to discuss exactly what is required.

Care of the deceased until the funeral

If the death occurs in hospital, the mortician may agree to keep the deceased in the hospital mortuary until the day of the funeral. There may be a charge for this service.

If the deceased is to remain at home until the funeral then the deceased should be kept in a well ventilated, cool room.

A coffin can be purchased from a funeral director or directly from a coffin manufacture. Alternatively it is possible to make a coffin providing it conforms to the crematorium's regulations.

Transportation

A suitable vehicle will be required for the dignified transportation of the deceased.

Where the deceased has to be removed from a hospital or nursing home etc contact the establishment first and check what documentation is required. It is also important to enquire of their procedures. For example some mortuaries require that a funeral director, or in this case family members, have a minimum number of people on hand to assist in the removal.

The service

For a cremation service you will need a minimum of four people to carry the coffin into the Chapel.

The 'APPLICANT FOR CREMATION' must provide the Cremation Authority with a disclaimer concerning the carrying into the chapel of the coffin and deceased. This document is provided by the Bereavement service. Without this document the funeral will not be permitted to proceed.