Get Bereavement Guidance

We Are Sorry If You Are Visiting This Page Having Just Lost a Loved One

There are two things to do in the first few days after a person has passed away.

  1. Register the Death: The 'Medical Examiner’s Service' (MES) will contact you to confirm you can register the death. This must be done within 5 days of being contacted by MES. This includes weekends and bank holidays.
  2. Arrange a Funeral: After you have registered the death, you’ll get a certificate for burial or cremation (often called ‘the green form’). Give the certificate to your funeral director, crematorium or burial authority. You must do this before the funeral can take place.

Click on the round buttons below to find out in more detail, what you should do when someone dies or to get help for grief

 

National Changes to Death Certification Took Place on 9/9/24

No longer will any single GP be able to write a death certificate. 

After someone dies, a 'Medical Examiner' from the Medical Examiner Service (MES) will check the cause of death to make sure it’s accurate. They are independent from our GP Surgery and are based at Southampton Hospital. The MES will liaise directly with the family of the deceased, in preparation for the family to register the death.

updated 10/9/24

 

Page last reviewed: 22 December 2023
Page created: 22 December 2023