At Home or Nursing Home
In the first instance should someone pass away at home is to contact the deceased’s own G.P, or the doctor on call who comes out to certify the death. If at a nursing home, the staff at the nursing home will be able to complete a verification form, or will contact the out of hours doctor.
The doctor will issue a medical certificate confirming cause of death that is used to register the death at the registration office. If you opt for cremation, let the doctor know at the time of death or as soon as possible as the doctor who last treated the deceased will need to complete certain paperwork.
Once the doctor has certified the death, contact Charles Rourke & Sons, who will arrange to meet with you and discuss further details bring the deceased into our care.
At Hospital or Hospice
The doctor tending to the deceased during their illness will issue a medical certificate of cause of death. This may be done shortly after the death or perhaps the following morning, depending on the time of death and if the doctor is available.
At hospital the deceased will be taken to the mortuary, where the funeral director will liaise with the staff to organise bringing the deceased to the funeral home. Contact us at any time after the death and we will guide you in the right direction.
Sudden Death
If someone dies suddenly or tragically, the Northern Ireland Coroners Service may become involved and the deceased will be removed from the place of death by the coroners staff to the Regional City Mortuary where an examination of the deceased may be carried out to determine the cause of death.
The Coroners service will liaise directly with next of kin/representative. Their contact info can be found below:
Phone: 0300 200 7811
Email: coronersoffice@courtsni.gov.uk
Website: https://www.justice-ni.gov.uk/articles/coroners-service-northern-ireland
Any time after the death, get in touch with us and we will help you through the necessary steps to arrange a funeral. In this situation the funeral may be delayed for a day or two due to the examination to be carried out.
Death Abroad
If a death occurs outside Northern Ireland, it will be necessary to obtain authorisation for the body to be removed and brought back to Northern Ireland from the country where the death occurred. The British or Irish Embassy or Consulate will be able to provide advice on this.
Returning a body to the UK is expensive but the cost may be covered by any travel insurance taken out by the person. If the death was on a package holiday the tour operator should be able to help with arrangements. There are also other options such as The Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust.
Normally the local funeral director will be instructed by the insurance company to bring the deceased back to Northern Ireland and then the funeral director at home will co-ordinate any necessary arrangements with them and they will then take over all arrangements.
If the death was not due to natural causes the coroner for the district will also need to be told and an inquest may need to take place.