Collection of the medical certificate
Please telephone the bereavement office after 10am on the next working day following a death. This office is open from:
Monday - Friday: 9am - 2pm
The bereavement officer will provide you with the information as to how you proceed at this point. The officer will also be able to advise you as to when you may collect the certificate or whether the coroner will be contacting you.
Patient's property
This will be given back to you on the ward if you were present at the time of death, or may be obtained from the ward when you come to collect the certificate. Valuable items may be held in the cashier's office.
At the hospital
On arrival at the hospital, please go to Rowan House at the Woodcote Green Road entrance to the hospital. The bereavement office is located on the ground floor.
The bereavement officer will give you the medical certificate which has to be taken to the registrar of births and deaths. Please see below for details of the registrar of births and deaths.
The coroner
Where the death was sudden, unexpected or the patient's stay in hospital has been less than 24 hours, doctors will not be able to issue a certificate. The coroner will have to be informed. The coroner's officers will become responsible and will contact you. They will explain the reason for their involvement and the registration procedure.
However, the involvement of the coroner does not generally cause any delay with the funeral. The coroner has the legal right to order a post mortem examination without obtaining your permission. The telephone number of the coroner's office is 01483 637300
Registration
The registrar must be notified of a death within five days. The Register Office is located at: The Mansion, 70 Church Street, Leatherhead Surrey KT22 8DP.
Opening hours are:
Monday, Tuesday: 9am - 4.30pm
Wednesday: 9.30am - 4.30pm
Thusday, Friday: 9am - 4.30pm
Please telephone 0300 200 1002 for an appointment once you have collected the medical certificate.
