When someone dies

If your loved one was being attended to by district nurses, death can be verified by one of the nurses, provided they have the required experience. It is still the responsibility of the GP however to issue the MCCD.

As soon as death has been verified by a doctor, nurse or a paramedic, and it is clear that there is no reason why the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death cannot be issued, your loved one can be conveyed into our care, no matter the time of day or night.

If the death is at home but was sudden, suspicious, accidental, unexpected and unexplained, you should contact the Police. You should not touch or move the deceased or anything in the home. The death is likely to be reported to the Procurator Fiscal and the Police will instruct their agents to convey the deceased to The Sir James Black mortuary ( Police Mortuary ), 9 Dudhope Crescent Road Dundee , DDl 5RR where a post mortem may have to be carried out to establish cause of death.

If the death occurred in hospital, staff may ask you to consider authorising a hospital post- mortem examination if that would provide valuable information about the person’s final illness or treatment which could help other people in the future. If the death was sudden, suspicious, accidental, unexpected or unexplained, it is likely to be reported to the Procurator Fiscal, the deceased will be conveyed to The Police Mortuary where a post-mortem may have to be carried out to establish cause of death.

Deaths are usually brought to the attention of the Procurator Fiscal through reports from the police, the Registrar, GPs or hospital doctors. However, anyone who has concerns about the circumstances of a death can report it to the Procurator Fiscal. The first task for the Procurator Fiscal is to find out the cause of death. The police will provide full information about the circumstances of the death. They will normally interview relatives and others who can provide information about the circumstances of the death.

Post-Mortems

In some cases reported to the Procurator Fiscal it will be necessary to instruct a post mortem examination, for example, where a doctor is unable or unwilling to issue a death certificate or where criminal proceedings or a Fatal Accident Inquiry may be considered. The consent of the next of kin is not required where the post mortem examination is instructed by the Procurator Fiscal.

The examination will be carried out as soon as possible but may still take several days. If the sudden or unexplained death is that of an infant or child, the Procurator Fiscal may be more likely to ask ​ for a post mortem examination. If there are any cultural, religious or other objections to a post mortem examination it is important to tell the Procurator Fiscal as soon as possible. There may be legal reasons why a post mortem is unavoidable, but where possible the wishes of the next of kin will be respected.

Further investigation

In most cases, the Procurator Fiscal’s investigations are complete when the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (Form 11) has been issued. In some cases however, the Procurator Fiscal will need to carry out further investigations into the death. The time necessary to investigate the death can vary considerably depending on the circumstances.

Nevertheless, you should still contact us as soon as possible to start the initial funeral arrangement procedures. You should be aware however, that we will not be able to book a date and time for the funeral until you or we have been contacted by the Procurator Fiscal to confirm that all investigations have been concluded and the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (Form 11) has been issued.

You should phone to make an appointment at the office you require. Once registration is complete you will be given a Certificate of Registration of Death (Form 14). This is the document that confirms that the death has been registered and is required before a burial or cremation can go ahead.

Please be aware however, a selection of Medical Certificates of Cause of Death are chosen for review during the registration process. Please do not be alarmed if you are chosen, the selection process is totally random and is designed to check the quality and accuracy of certificates and to improve how this information is recorded.

Please note, the review process does not apply if the death has already been investigated by the Procurator Fiscal.

How a Review Affects You

If the death you are registering is selected for review, you may not immediately be able to complete the death registration. The registrar will explain the review process and timescales and will contact you when the review is complete. You can still make initial funeral arrangements while the review is underway. However, the funeral itself cannot take place until the review is completed and a certificate of Registration of Death (Form 14) is produced.

Depending on which level of review you have been selected for, this could mean one working day ​delay (Level One) or up to 3 working days (Level 2) before the Form 14 will be issued. You should notify us if you are selected for review as this helps us to consider a likely date for the funeral to take place ensuring enough time for the documentation to be completed and lodged with the appropriate authorities. The Form 14 can be sent direct to us. If you need the funeral to go ahead quickly, in special circumstances you may be granted advance registration and the Registrar will advise you on how to apply.

When should you register the death?

Legally, a death must be registered within eight days of the date of death. However, our advice is that you register the death at the earliest opportunity in case you are randomly selected for review. There will also be other paperwork you need to complete which we have to take with the Certificate to the burial/cremation authorities at least 48 hours prior to the funeral taking place.

Documents to take with you

- Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) supplied by the Doctor/Fiscal

- Marriage or Civil Partnership Certificate (If married)

- Birth Certificate

- NHS Medical Card

If you cannot find the marriage certificate, birth certificate or medical card, it is still possible to register the death as long as you know the following information:

- Deceased’s full name and address

- Age, date of birth and where he/she was born

- Occupation

- Marital status

- Date and time of death and where

- If married, ​wife’s/husband’s name before marriage

- Father’s full name and last occupation

- Mother’s full name, maiden name and occupation

- Are parents still alive?

- Registered GP or Surgery details

- NHS Number

- National Insurance Number

Who can register?

It’s usually a relative of the deceased who is responsible for registering the death. If a relative isn’t available however, then any of the following people can register the death:

- Any person present at the death

- The executor, next of kin or another legal representative

- The occupier of the place where the death took place

- Any person who has the necessary information. This may include the funeral director if there are special circumstances

Dundee Registrar Contact Details

Email: registrars@dundeecity.gov.uk

Telephone: 01382 435222

20 City Square, Dundee DD1 3BD

Office Opening Hours (By Appointment Only) Monday to Friday, 8.45am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 4.45pm

Visit Dundee City Council Website here

For a full list of all registration offices in Scotland, please click here.

To use the service please also bring along these documents, if you have them:

- National Insurance number

- Passport

- Driving Licence

- Blue Badge

The above documents can also be used to register the death if the Marriage, Birth and Medical card is not available.

The Registrar will issue:

- An abbreviated extract from the Register of Death, free of charge

- A Certificate of Registration of Death (Form 14) for Funeral Director, free of charge

If you do not use the Tell Us Once service to inform the Department for Work and Pensions, the registrar will give you a BD8 form so you can notify them yourself. This is also free of charge.

Documents you may need to purchase

Although the abbreviated Extract from the Register of Death is free, it does not have the Cause of Death noted on the certificate. To close down bank accounts or release funds from insurance policies etc., you will probably need to submit a full, certified copy of the extract from the Register of Death, which has the cause of death noted. The Registrar will advise on current costs to purchase these.

Dundee Registrar Contact Details

Email: registrars@dundeecity.gov.uk

Telephone: 01382 435222 or 01382 435224

20 City Square, Dundee DD1 3BD

Office Opening Hours (By Appointment Only) Monday to Friday, 8.45am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 4.45pm

Visit Dundee City Council Website here

For a full list of all registration offices in Scotland, please click here.

However, you should consider seeking professional support if you feel that you are not coping or experiencing any of the following:

- Difficulty coping with intense feelings

- Feeling unusually tired, confused and unable to concentrate

- Feeling numb or empty quite some time after the death

- Having nightmares or difficulty sleeping Your personal relationships appear to be suffering

- You constantly feel angry or irritable

- You are smoking, drinking or taking medication or other drugs more than usual

- Your work attendance or performance is suffering

As a member of the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF) we have access to a service called SAIF Care which can offer you help to try to cope with your bereavement and the strong feelings you are experiencing.

SAIF Care provides a range of services to bereaved people over 18 including access to a free telephone Bereavement Care Line and email support, as well as an Online Chat Box. We can also put you in touch with a highly qualified professional bereavement councillor or support group in your local area.

If you would like further information, call or pop into any of our funeral homes and our staff will give you all the information you need.

We will ask you questions, but we do not expect you to have all the answers or make decisions there and then. Our job is simply to take time to explain to you what options there are available to you, to ensure that you have all the information you need to make informed choices. There is no such thing as a standard funeral service or the ‘right’ way to do it – they are all different and can be tailored to your wishes and budget.

It is important to understand that this will not be the only meeting we will have so there is no pressure to make decisions in this first meeting and even if you do, you can change your mind at any point.

It is always helpful however to think ahead regarding whether you or your loved one wanted a burial or a cremation and depending on the option, which cemetery or crematorium you would prefer to use. This just gives us the opportunity to have the right paperwork to hand when we meet which the next of kin/executor will be required to complete.

If you wish to have a burial and you have an existing lair, it will be helpful to bring the Certificate of Ownership (Title Deed) with you to the first meeting as we are required to send these to the burial authority. Alternatively, if you do not have those documents, we will require the details of who was the last person to be interred there and the date of the interment. These details are required as a check must be undertaken by the burial authority to ensure there is enough room for a further interment.

We will be taking notes throughout and once we have completed the discussions, we may get the next of kin/executor to complete the legal paperwork at this stage.

We will usually request a payment in advance of the funeral and your arranger will advise at the time on how much that will be as it may depend on how you intend to settle the funeral account or the type of funeral you have chosen.