If someone dies at home or in the community whether or not the death was expected or not, the first thing to do is call the emergency services on 999 explain that a death has occurred and they then will send out the ambulance and police to assist you in the first instance.

Upon arrival the ambulance service will examine the deceased in order to officially pronounce them as deceased. The police will make some preliminary enquires just to ascertain whether there is any need for their involvement to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death.

Either the ambulance service will themselves take the deceased to the local mortuary, however the most likely action will be for them to arrange the funeral directors who have a contract to recover bodies from the community with the coroner to come and transport the deceased to the local mortuary pending a decision from the coroners office as to whether a post mortem or further examination is required. It is important that you are aware that you have no obligatory contract with these funeral directors and neither will you be liable for any of their costs. You should still contact the funeral director of your choice immediately to notify them of the death so they are able to handle things on your behalf and take the pressure off your shoulders by guiding you through the rest of the process step by step.

Or the ambulance service will ask you for the details of the funeral director whom you would like to use and then you would simply give them our 24 hour helpline number 01922 438503, they then will contact us and we will come out to recover the deceased into our care; and provide you with all of the interim support you may require in order to put your mind at rest and make sure that you are as well as can be expected given the difficult circumstances.

The on duty staff will often try to notify the next of kin as soon as possible to allow them a chance to say goodbye. It is very important to remember however that often a persons condition can deteriorate quite quickly and it may not always be possible for them to notify you in time.

The hospital or care home will be well practiced in actioning the relevant people after a death has occurred and will be able to point you in the right direction. They are not however allowed to influence your choice of funeral director that is entirely your decision. If in doubt you can call us 24 hours a day on 01922 438503 for free interim advice we are always happy to help wherever we can. Because we understand that the shock of loosing someone is in itself a huge pressure upon the loved ones left behind having experienced the loss of a loved one ourselves, so can fully empathies with the way you may be feeling.