What to do when someone dies

This is a large subject and depends on the circumstance surrounding the death. However, the short answer to the question is a simple one, contact H W Mason & Sons.

By calling us you will always be able to speak to a qualified funeral director, even if the call is out of hours. Your funeral director will be able to judge what to do next and will help to plan your actions over the next day or two, depending on the particular circumstances. The most likely scenarios are outlined below.

When someone dies at home

The first contact should be the family doctor who will normally call at the house and, if satisfied as to the cause of death, will issue the death certificate.

When someone dies in hospital

When a person dies in a hospital or nursing home, you will normally be dealing with the sister or staff nurse in charge. They will make the necessary arrangements for the doctor to issue the death certificate. You should then contact H W Mason & Sons as soon as possible. You will be reassured that we will explain and take care of the details involved. It is not necessary to have the death certificate before contacting us.

The Coroner

In some cases a death may be referred to the Coroner. There are many reasons why this can happen. For example, it may be that a doctor has been unable to certify a cause of death or perhaps the death is as a result of an accident. In most cases the death will be reported by a doctor, this should not give cause for concern and will not necessarily delay the funeral. We will fully explain the procedures to you and take care of all arrangements and documentation.

Registering the death

All deaths must be registered at the Registrar’s Office in the district in which the death occurred. We will give you the name and address and office times of the relevant Registrar’s Office. When registering the death you will need to take with you the Medical Certificate of Death. The Registrar will also require some personal details of the deceased. The Registrar will then issue a green certificate, which you must hand to us as soon as possible to avoid the funeral being delayed.

Burial or Cremation

If you wish to arrange a burial, either in a churchyard or local cemetery, we will explain the procedures and regulations.

If your wishes are for a cremation funeral we will assist in completing the necessary documents and ensure that the doctor’s forms are available to coincide with arrangements. We can also give advice to help make the important decision for the interment of the cremated remains. There are many alternatives and from experience we find that proper advice and help is essential.

If the funeral or burial is to take place in a district away from where death occurred we will make the necessary arrangements for you. Funeral arrangements can be made for the deceased to travel by land, sea or air, and we are able to arrange repatriation to destinations overseas. Our membership of the National Association of Funeral Directors assists us to complete any arrangements at any distance.

We arrange and conduct funerals in London to save families’ expense.