This page provides guidance on the immediate steps to take when someone dies. These steps vary depending on where they have passed away, and the circumstances surrounding their death.
Office hours: 9:00am – 4:30pm Monday – Friday – using our usual lines
24-hour emergency line: 07787 475 372 (for deaths requiring immediate attention – i.e. when someone has passed away at home)
At Home
Call the person’s GP or out-of-hours doctor as soon as possible. A medical professional must verify the death before we can move anyone into our care. If the GP, district nurse, or other suitable professional is unable to verify the death, we may ask that you call an ambulance, so that a paramedic can do so. This is not the same as registering a death, which will take place later on.
Once verified, contact us and we’ll arrange to bring your loved one into our care at a time that suits you.
If the death was unexpected or sudden, it may need to be reported to the coroner. The person verifying the death will provide guidance on the immediate next steps.
In a Nursing Home
The nursing home will arrange for the death to be verified.
If you’ve already told the nursing home you’d like to use us, they’ll contact us directly to arrange collection. Otherwise, they’ll usually call you to discuss which funeral director you’d like to use.
In some cases – such as if the death occurs late at night or if the nursing home can’t reach you immediately – they may appoint a funeral director to transfer your loved one into care. If this happens, you are not obligated to continue with that funeral director and can transfer to a funeral director of your choice.
Once death has been verified, we’ll coordinate with the nursing home to bring your loved one into our care.
In a Hospital
The doctor will complete a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death, which will then be reviewed by a medical examiner. The hospital will not authorise release, and you will not be able to register the death, until the medical examiner has reviewed and approved the certificate. Hospital transfers occur during the hospital mortuary opening hours. Once the medical examiner sends the certificate to the registrar, you’ll be notified that you can register the death.
Please let the hospital bereavement office know you’d like to use Stoneman Funeral Service as soon as possible. This helps us coordinate with the hospital and arrange collection promptly once the paperwork is complete.
East Surrey Hospital Bereavement Office: 01737 231718
Epsom General Hospital Bereavement Office: 01372 735273
St Helier Hospital Bereavement Office: 020 8296 2491
Next Steps
Medical Examiner: All deaths in England and Wales require review by an independent medical examiner before the death can be registered.
More about the Medical Examiner process →
Registration: Once the medical examiner completes their review, you’ll need to register the death.
Registration information →
Coroner’s Procedure: If the deceased has not been attended by a doctor, dies suddenly, or was not being treated at hospital, the facts will almost certainly be reported to the coroner.
Full details about Coroner’s procedure →
Who to notify: There are various organisations and people you’ll need to inform.
Who needs to know →