Information about how to register a death, what we’ll need from you and what you can do once the death has been registered.

 Death registration

If you have experienced the loss of a loved one, please accept our sincere condolences. 

Deaths that have occurred in the district of Doncaster, where there is no involvement by the Corner will be reviewed by the independent Medical Examiner based at Doncaster Royal Infirmary.

The independent Medical Examiner role is in place to scrutinise all deaths in Doncaster were there is no Coronal involvement.

The Medical Examiner Team will contact the next of kin once documents relating to your loved one have been sent to them electronically either from the GP surgery when the death has occurred in the community; at home or in a Care Home, or from the hospital if the death has occurred in hospital or at the hospice. 

When speaking with next of kin, the Medical Examiner Team will ensure that you are content with the details that have been provided to them by the Dr that cared for your loved one.

Once the Medical Examiner Team have completed their scrutiny and had discussions with the next of kin, they will send your loved ones information to Doncaster Register Office electronically.

Once received, we will be in touch with next of kin to arrange a face to face appointment with you to register the death. The contact details for next of kin will be provided to us by the Medical Examiner Team or the Coroners Office, and we will call you as soon as we can to arrange this appointment. 

**The ability to book an appointment online is not currently available as we need to ensure we have the relevant paperwork to arrange this appointment**

Please email us at Registrars@doncaster.gov.uk if you have any questions.

Please visit our coping with bereavement page for support, advice and guidance following the loss of a loved one.

All deaths that have occured in the district of Doncaster where the Coroner does not have to be involved should be registered at Doncaster Register Office, Civic Office, Waterdale, Doncaster, DN1 3BU, where possible, within five days of the date of death.

We operate an appointment system for the registration of deaths.

If you sadly need to register a still born baby, please call us on 01302 735222 to arrange an appointment.

What to do

When you register a death, the medical certificate of cause of death issued by a doctor will have been sent to us electronically and we will contact the next of kin once we have that to arrange your face to face appointment.

If the death has been referred to the Coroner, they will advise you what to do. 

You will need to provide the following information about the deceased:

  • full name
  • address
  • date of birth
  • place of birth
  • occupation
  • maiden surname of a woman who has married
  • in the case of a married woman or widow, the full names and occupation of her husband
  • if the deceased was receiving a pension from public funds, such as civil service or army pension

It is most important that the information recorded in the register is correct, so it will need to be checked carefullyin your face to face appointment.

 

Who can report a death?

Under normal circumstances the responsibility for registering a death falls upon the relatives of the deceased. Others may be called upon to carry out this duty, for example where there are no relatives or the relatives are elderly or infirm. These other persons would include someone who was present with the deceased when they died, or the person making the funeral arrangements.

Which deaths need to be reported to the coroner?

A small number of deaths have to be reported to the Coroner before they can be registered and the document allowing the funeral to go ahead can be issued. The following deaths, if not already reported to the Coroner, will be reported by the registrar:

  • where there is no doctor who can issue a medical certificate of cause of death, or
  • where the deceased was not seen by the doctor issuing the medical certificate after death nor within 14 days before death (28 days during pandemic), or
  • where the cause of death is unknown, or
  • where the cause of death is believed to be unnatural or suspicious, or
  • where the death occurred during an operation or before recovery from an anaesthetic, or
  • where the death is due to industrial disease or industrial poisoning

Once a death has been reported to the Coroner, the registrar cannot go ahead with the registration until the coroner has decided whether any further investigation is necessary.

What happens when a death has been registered?

After a death has been registered, the paperwork required by the Funeral Director will be given to you in your face to face appointment.

What happens when a deceased is taken out of England and Wales?

If a deceased is to be taken out of England and Wales, notice must be given to the Coroner for the area where the body is lying. A form of notice (form 104) may be obtained from a Registrar or a Coroner. Any burial or cremation certificate that has already been issued must be given to the Coroner with the notice.

The Coroner will acknowledge receipt of the notice and say when the removal of the body may take place. This will normally be after four days from when the notice was received. If it is urgent, the person giving notice should speak to the Coroner, as it may be possible to allow the removal sooner than the four days.

For further information, please contact us: 

Last updated: 21 March 2024 09:21:55

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