Farra is a death administration assistant for UK families. Get step-by-step guidance for registering a death, applying for probate, notifying banks, and managing bereavement admin. From essential documents to practical checklists, Farra simplifies estate paperwork and funeral-related tasks so you can focus on what matters.
Care home staff verify the death and notify the family. The attending practitioner completes the MCCD where they can; a medical examiner must scrutinise every non-coronial death in England and Wales before it can be registered. Where the Notification of Deaths Regulations 2019 apply, the death is notified to the coroner instead. The family chooses the funeral director, collects belongings, and registers the death once the registrar has the cause of death.
Scope of this guide:
This guide describes the process in England and Wales. The statutory medical examiner system introduced on 9 September 2024 applies in England and Wales only. Scotland has its own Death Certification Review Service and deaths are reported to the procurator fiscal rather than a coroner; Northern Ireland has a separate coroners service and no medical examiner system.
Important: Most care home deaths are from natural causes and proceed smoothly through registration to funeral. However, care homes are required to follow strict procedures to ensure proper oversight.
What the care home should do immediately after a death:
1. Verify the Death
A registered nurse (in nursing homes) or doctor must verify that death has occurred. They check for signs of life and record the time of death. In residential homes without nurses, a doctor is called.
2. Notify the Family
The care home should contact the next of kin immediately, usually by phone. They should inform you sensitively and offer the opportunity to come to the care home if you wish.
3. Contact the GP
The resident's GP is contacted to attend and certify the death by issuing a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD), if appropriate.
4. Secure Personal Property
The care home secures the deceased's personal belongings and valuables, creating an inventory for the family.
5. Prepare the Body
Staff prepare the body with dignity and respect, usually moving it to a designated quiet room. Religious or cultural practices should be respected.
How the death is certified depends on the circumstances:
Expected Deaths from Known Conditions
If the resident was terminally ill or had known life-limiting conditions:
- An "attending practitioner" completes the MCCD. GOV.UK guidance says there is no legal definition of "attended", but it is generally taken to mean a doctor who has cared for the patient and is familiar with their medical history, investigations and treatment. There is no 28-day rule
- MCCD states the cause of death
- The MCCD goes to the medical examiner for scrutiny
- The medical examiner notifies the registrar of the cause of death, which starts the 5 days you have to register
Unexpected or Unexplained Deaths
If death was unexpected or cause is unclear:
- If, despite reasonable steps, the attending practitioner cannot determine the cause of death, regulation 3 requires them to notify the coroner
- The medical examiner may also refer a death to the coroner
- The coroner may order a post-mortem examination
- Registration cannot happen until the coroner has finished or has sent the registrar the cause of death
When Coroner Involvement is Likely
Regulation 3 of the Notification of Deaths Regulations 2019 sets out when a doctor must notify the senior coroner. There is no separate list for care homes, and no rule about deaths within 24 hours of admission or falls within a set number of days — those are hospital and care-provider conventions, not law.
What good care homes should do:
Family Notification and Support
- Contact the family promptly
- Provide clear information about what happened
- Offer opportunity to visit and spend time with the deceased
- Explain next steps and procedures
- Provide bereavement support information
Documentation
- Complete internal death notification paperwork
- Prepare detailed care notes leading up to death
- Create inventory of personal belongings
- Document any incidents or concerns prior to death
- Notify relevant bodies. Regulation 16 of the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009 requires a registered provider in England to notify CQC "without delay" of a death occurring while a regulated activity was being provided, or that has or may have resulted from it. Local authorities and the integrated care board (which replaced clinical commissioning groups on 1 July 2022) are notified where they funded the care
Coordination with Medical Professionals
- Arrange GP visit for certification
- Provide medical records to certifying doctor
- Liaise with Medical Examiner
- Facilitate coroner investigation if required
- Coordinate with funeral director chosen by family
Personal Property
- Secure all belongings immediately
- Create detailed inventory with witness
- Arrange for family to collect items
- Handle valuables with appropriate security
- Deal sensitively with disposal of items family doesn't want
Room and Billing
- Explain when room must be cleared
- Provide final account and billing information
- Return any advance payments or deposits
- Handle resident's mail appropriately
What you can expect and request as family:
Right to Visit and Spend Time
There is no statutory right to view the body, but in practice care homes accommodate families who wish to spend private time with the person who has died, and CQC expects providers to treat people with dignity and respect. Ask the home what it can offer.
Right to Information
You're entitled to:
- Clear explanation of circumstances surrounding the death
- Access to care records (with appropriate legal authority)
- Information about next steps in certification and registration
- Contact details for relevant professionals
- Explanation of any regulatory notifications made
Right to Choose Funeral Director
You choose the funeral director. Under the CMA's Funerals Market Investigation Order 2021, a funeral director must not make a payment or gift to a care home that could reasonably be understood to incentivise or require it to refer customers to them, and must not promote their services when collecting the body. The same Order requires funeral directors to display a Standardised Price List at their premises and on their website, so you can compare prices.
Right to Raise Concerns
If you have concerns about the care provided or circumstances of death:
- Raise concerns with care home manager immediately
- Request explanation and access to care records
- Contact CQC (Care Quality Commission) if concerns remain
- Request Medical Examiner review if suspicious
- Consider complaint or legal advice for serious concerns
How death registration works after a care home death:
Obtaining the MCCD
Since the 2024 reforms the MCCD is not handed to the family. It goes from the attending practitioner to the medical examiner, and the medical examiner (or the coroner, where one is involved) notifies the registrar of the cause of death directly. The care home or the medical examiner's office will tell you when the register office is ready for you.
Medical Examiner Review
Before registration:
- The medical examiner reviews the medical records and works with the doctor to complete the MCCD
- The medical examiner offers to speak to you about the cause of death and the care given. This contact is voluntary
- The medical examiner notifies the registrar of the cause of death, or refers the death to the coroner
- No official figure is published for how long this stage takes
Who Registers
Qualified informants for care home deaths:
- Relative (preferred – spouse, child, sibling, etc.)
- Person present at death (could be care home staff)
- Care home manager (as occupier of premises)
- Person arranging funeral
Care homes may offer to register on your behalf, but most families prefer to register themselves.
Timeline
The order of events is fixed, but the elapsed time is not, and no official statistic is published for it:
- Death occurs and is verified
- The attending practitioner completes the MCCD
- The medical examiner scrutinises it
- The registrar is notified of the cause of death — this starts the 5 days you have to register
- You register, and receive the certificate for burial or cremation (the "green form") that the funeral director, crematorium or burial authority needs
Certain care home deaths must be reported to the coroner:
What the law actually requires
Under regulation 3 of the Notification of Deaths Regulations 2019, a registered medical practitioner must notify the senior coroner where they suspect the death was due to:
- poisoning, including by an otherwise benign substance
- exposure to or contact with a toxic substance
- the use of a medicinal product, controlled drug or psychoactive substance
- violence
- trauma or injury
- self-harm
- neglect, including self-neglect
- the person undergoing a treatment or procedure of a medical or similar nature
- an injury or disease attributable to any employment the person held during their lifetime
The duty also arises where:
- the death is suspected to be unnatural but does not fall in the list above
- the attending practitioner, despite taking reasonable steps, considers the cause of death unknown
- the person is suspected to have died in custody or state detention
- there is no attending practitioner, or none available within a reasonable time to prepare and sign the certificate
- the deceased cannot be identified
Other routes to the coroner
Anyone can report a death to the coroner, and a coroner has a duty to investigate where they have reason to suspect a violent or unnatural death, a death of unknown cause, or a death in custody or state detention. In practice a family who is concerned about unexplained injuries, restraint, or the quality of care can raise that with the medical examiner, who is required to give bereaved people an opportunity to ask questions and raise concerns, or contact the coroner's office directly.
What Happens After Coroner Referral
- The coroner reviews the circumstances and care records
- They may order a post-mortem examination
- The body is released when the coroner is satisfied it is no longer needed. No official figure is published for how long this takes; ask the coroner's officer for the case
- The investigation continues, and may include an inquest
- Registration proceeds once the coroner sends the registrar the cause of death, or after an inquest concludes
Understanding your financial obligations:
Fees Owed
What is owed after a death depends on the contract, and there is no single national rule or standard notice period. The Competition and Markets Authority has published consumer law advice for care home providers which covers charging after a resident dies; a term that is unfair may not be enforceable. Read the contract, and ask the home to point to the clause it is relying on.
Personal Allowance and Client Account
Many homes manage residents' personal spending money. The home should provide a final account and return any balance to the estate. There is no statutory deadline for this — the contract will say what the home has agreed to.
Funding Arrangements
Notify relevant parties about the death:
- Local authority (if they funded care)
- Continuing Healthcare team (if NHS-funded)
- Pension providers (payments should cease)
- Benefits agencies (stop benefit payments)
Room Clearance
You will need to remove personal belongings by the date specified in the contract. There is no statutory period, so check what the contract says and whether storage charges apply.
If you're worried about the care your relative received:
Immediate Actions
- Raise concerns with care home manager – Give them opportunity to explain and address issues.
- Request access to care records – You may need legal authority (executor status or court order).
- Document your concerns – Make detailed notes while memory is fresh.
- Speak to other residents' families – Are there patterns suggesting systemic issues?
Formal Complaints
If concerns aren't resolved:
- Care Quality Commission (CQC): Regulator for care homes in England
- Care Inspectorate Wales: For Welsh care homes
- Local authority safeguarding team: For abuse or neglect concerns
- Professional bodies: If specific professionals (nurses, doctors) were negligent
Legal Action
For serious cases:
- Clinical negligence solicitor: For medical negligence claims
- Inquest solicitor: If coroner investigation occurs
- Police: If criminal neglect or abuse suspected
This guide gives information, not advice. If you are considering legal action, take advice from a solicitor about your own circumstances.
Good care homes recognise that death affects other residents:
Notification: Other residents should be told sensitively about the death, especially if the deceased was well-known in the home.
Memorial activities: Many homes hold small memorial events or moments of remembrance.
Bereavement support: Staff should monitor and support residents who may be grieving.
Scotland
Deaths must be registered within 8 days of the death where possible, and deaths are reported to the procurator fiscal rather than a coroner. There is no medical examiner system: instead, some medical certificates are randomly selected for review by the Death Certification Review Service, which mygov.scot says can delay registration by up to 1 to 3 working days. Care homes are regulated by the Care Inspectorate.
Wales
Care Inspectorate Wales regulates care homes. The statutory medical examiner system and the Notification of Deaths Regulations 2019 apply in Wales as in England.
Northern Ireland
Care homes are regulated by the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA), and deaths are dealt with by the Coroners Service for Northern Ireland. The medical examiner system does not apply. A death should be registered within five days, and Tell Us Once is not available if the person was living in Northern Ireland when they died.
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