OBTAINING A MEDICAL CERTIFICATE

Deaths seem to involve a considerable amount of red tape which newly bereaved people may find bewildering and infuriating. A seemingly endless number of organisations have to be contacted, but you will normally find that the people you deal with are sympathetic and helpful.

It is important to prioritise your actions. The first thing that needs to be done in the hours following a death is to obtain a medical certificate or at least set in motion the mechanism to get one. Without one of these the death cannot be registered, and without the death certificate the funeral cannot take place.

Normally the doctor who has been treating the deceased will issue a medical certificate indicating the cause of death. This is not for your eyes, but will be in a sealed envelope and addressed to the Registrar of Births, Marriages and Deaths in the local area. The doctor will also often issue a formal notice (Notice to Informant) saying that the medical certificate has been signed and giving instructions on how to register the death, which should normally be carried out within five days of the decease (or eight days in the case of Scotland).

If the death occurred suddenly or unexpectedly, matters may not be so straightforward. The doctor or doctors treating the patient may wish to investigate the cause of death, and will ask permission of the relatives to carry out a post-mortem examination. This is not something you need worry about and should not be taken as an indication that they suspect foul play.

In certain circumstances, notably an accident or injury, a sudden and unexplained death, or a death during an operation or under anaesthetic, it may be decided to report the death to the coroner (or procurator fiscal in Scotland). A report to the coroner is also necessary if the doctor treating the deceased had not seen him or her after death or during the 14 days before death.

Such a decision may well delay the issue of the medical certificate and so other arrangements, such as the funeral, may have to be postponed. If the coroner decides a post-mortem examination of the body or an inquest is needed, some considerable time could elapse before the body can be released. The death cannot be registered without the coroner’s permission.