The coroner’s office is usually notified by the doctor if the death is sudden or unexpected. Police Officers may be required to visit next of kin or residential care staff in order to begin the process and take details.
The funeral director may still be contacted by yourselves but the person who has passed may be taken to the local hospital for a post-mortem examination as opposed to the funeral home. Post-mortem examinations may delay the official registration of death but not necessarily the date of the funeral.
Funeral directors can advise on all paperwork that is required and will guide you through the process with the utmost care and consideration.
It is a legal requirement that the coroner’s office must be informed if the deceased has not been seen by a doctor within the fourteen days immediately prior to death or if the person has died following an operation. However, it may be that the coroner’s officer, in consultation with the doctor and the family members, decides that an examination is not required.