In the first few hours

Confirming the death

If someone dies at home, you will need a doctor to attend and confirm the death. During the day, call the person’s GP surgery. Outside of hours, call NHS 111, who will arrange an out-of-hours doctor.

If the death was unexpected or sudden, call 999. The ambulance crew will attend, and the death will be referred to the police and then to the coroner in England and Wales, or the procurator fiscal in Scotland. This is a routine process and does not necessarily mean anything was wrong.

If someone dies in hospital or a care home, staff will confirm the death and guide you through the next steps. You do not need to do anything immediately.

You do not have to rush

One of the most common things families feel is that they have to act quickly: calling a funeral director within hours and making decisions while still in shock.

In fact, unless there are specific medical, religious or legal circumstances, there is no legal requirement to move the body quickly. The person can remain at home for several days if that is what you want. Many families find this time invaluable.

Telling family and friends

There is no right way to do this. Some people want to tell everyone immediately; others need a day or two before they can make calls. Ask someone you trust to help share the news if you need to.

Getting the medical certificate

Before you can register the death, you need a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death, also known as an MCCD. This is a legal document completed by a doctor who can confirm the cause of death.

In hospital

The bereavement office will usually contact you within a day or two to let you know the certificate is ready to collect.

At home or in a care setting

The GP who attended will issue the certificate, usually within a few days. They may need to consult with a colleague or wait for a Medical Examiner to review the case; this is now standard practice in England and Wales following recent reforms to death certification.

When the death is referred

Not every death results in a straightforward certificate. A death may be referred to:

• the coroner in England and Wales if the cause of death is unknown, sudden, unexpected, or related to an accident, surgery, or industrial disease
• the procurator fiscal in Scotland in similar circumstances

This does not mean anything sinister has happened. In many cases, the referral is resolved quickly, and the certificate is issued without a post-mortem.

If a post-mortem or inquest is required, the timescale will extend, and you will be kept informed. Funeral arrangements can often still begin in the meantime, though burial or cremation cannot take place until the relevant authority gives permission.

Registering the death

Who must register

The death must be registered by a qualified informant. This is usually a relative of the deceased. If no relative is available, an executor, the occupier of the premises where the death occurred, or the person arranging the funeral may be able to register.

Where and when

You must register the death at the register office for the district where the death occurred, not where the person lived. It is worth calling ahead to book an appointment, as many offices are busy.

• England and Wales: the death must be registered within 5 days.
• Scotland: the death must be registered within 8 days.

What to bring

The registrar will need the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death. It also helps to bring, where possible:

• the deceased’s full name, including any previous names
• date and place of birth
• last address
• occupation
• NHS number
• details of any state pension or benefits being received

What you will receive

After registration, you will receive:

• Death certificates. You will need multiple certified copies for banks, solicitors, insurance companies and other organisations. Ask for at least five to avoid delays.
• In England and Wales, a green form, formally the Certificate for Burial or Cremation, which permits a burial or cremation to proceed.
• In Scotland, the registrar will notify the burial or cremation authority directly via a system called CARES. You do not receive a green form.

Telling the right people

Once you have the death certificates, there are a number of organisations you will need to inform. This can feel like an endless administrative task at an already exhausting time.

Tell Us Once

In England, Wales and Scotland, the Tell Us Once service allows you to inform most government departments in a single notification, including HMRC, the DVLA, the Department for Work and Pensions, and the Passport Office. The registrar will give you a unique reference number to use this service. It is well worth using.

Other organisations to contact

• Banks and building societies
• Pension providers
• Insurance companies
• Solicitor, if the deceased had a will
• Landlord or mortgage provider
• Utility companies and subscriptions
• The electoral roll, via your local council
• Email accounts, social media and subscription services, when you feel ready

Choosing a funeral director, or not

What a funeral director does

A funeral director will collect and care for the body, handle paperwork, liaise with the burial ground or crematorium, and help you plan and manage the funeral itself. For many families, having a funeral director manage the process brings real comfort and practical relief.

Costs vary significantly. You have the right to shop around to find the right funeral director. Always ask for an itemised quote.

Questions worth asking

• Where will the body be kept, and can we visit?
• Are you a member of the National Association of Funeral Directors or the Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors?
• What is included in the quoted price, and what is additional?
• Can we bring our own coffin or shroud?
• What are your embalming policies?

A family-led funeral

It is entirely legal in England, Wales and Scotland to arrange a funeral yourself, without a funeral director. Families can collect and transport the body, care for it at home, build or source a coffin or shroud, and conduct the burial themselves, particularly at a natural burial ground, where this approach is more commonly supported.

This is not the right choice for everyone, but it is a meaningful option for those who want a more hands-on farewell. If you are considering this, speak to the burial ground directly at an early stage; they will be able to advise on what is needed.

Caring for the body

Where the body is kept

Most commonly, the body will be taken into the care of a funeral director and kept in a temperature-controlled facility until the funeral. However, you have other options. The body can be kept at home, ideally in a cool room. A small number of companies hire out cooling systems for this purpose. Many families who have cared for someone at home describe it as a profound and healing experience.

Viewing and spending time

You have every right to spend time with the person who has died, whether at home or at the funeral home. Do not feel you need to ask permission. Some families want to wash and dress the body themselves, and funeral directors who work sensitively with families will support this.

Embalming

Embalming is a chemical process using formaldehyde to temporarily preserve the body. It is not a legal requirement in the UK, and in many cases it is not necessary. You are entitled to decline it.

If you are planning a natural burial, most natural burial grounds ask that the body is not embalmed, as the toxic chemicals can interfere with the natural processes in the ground.

Choosing burial or cremation

Cremation

Cremation accounts for around 80% of funerals in the UK. The process requires additional paperwork and must take place at a licensed crematorium.

A consideration must be made about what to do with the ashes after the cremation. If you are considering scattering the ashes, please be aware that you need permission from the landowner, and human ashes should not be scattered in waterways or near grazing animals. Many people hold onto the ashes until they find the right place and then choose to bury the ashes in a graveyard or natural burial ground.

Burial in a churchyard or municipal cemetery

Traditional burial in a churchyard or local authority cemetery is available in most areas, though space is increasingly limited, particularly in urban areas. Most cemeteries offer the option of a lawn grave or a more traditional memorial. Costs vary considerably by location.

Natural burial

Natural burial, also called green burial or woodland burial, offers a gentler alternative. The body is buried without embalming, in a biodegradable coffin or shroud, in a landscape managed for nature and conservation rather than formal memorialisation.

There are no upright headstones. Instead, the grave may be marked with a native tree, a simple wooden plaque, or no marker at all, letting wildflowers grow.

Natural burial grounds exist across England, Wales and Scotland, and vary widely in character, from working farmland to ancient woodland, from hilltops to river meadows. Some are small and family-run; others are larger operations. Visit the burial ground before you decide if it is the right place.

Natural burial tends to be less expensive than a conventional burial. It is also, for many families, a more meaningful way to return a loved one to the land, one that feels continuous with how that person lived, rather than separate from it.

Planning the funeral

What a funeral can look like

There are no rules about what a funeral must involve. It can be a large, formal ceremony or a small, quiet gathering. It can have music, poetry, silence, or laughter. It can be religious, secular, humanist, or something entirely personal.

The most important thing is that it reflects the person who has died and brings some comfort to those who loved them.

Who can lead the ceremony?

• A minister or priest, if the family has a faith connection
• A civil celebrant or humanist celebrant
• A family member or friend, if the family prefers

Many families now choose a celebrant and find the process of working with them, sharing stories, choosing readings, and shaping the ceremony together, to be one of the most healing parts of the whole experience.

The coffin or shroud

You are not required to use a traditional wooden coffin. Options include:

• coffins made from willow, wool, bamboo, cardboard, or wicker
• simple wooden flat-pack coffins that families can personalise
• a burial shroud, often made from linen or wool

Your funeral director can source these, or you can arrange them directly.

On the day

Practical things to consider include who will carry the coffin, whether there will be an order of service, who will speak, whether there will be music played and how, whether flowers or donations to a charity are preferred, and how people will travel to and from the site.

Allow yourself to be supported by others in the logistics wherever you can.

After the funeral

If the person was cremated

Ashes are usually ready for collection around a week after the cremation. Families can:

• keep them at home
• scatter them in a meaningful place, with permission from the landowner
• bury them in a churchyard, cemetery, or natural burial ground
• have them incorporated into a memorial object, which usually only requires a small amount of ashes

Memorials

At a natural burial ground, permanent memorials are usually low-key and in keeping with the landscape, such as a native tree or a memorial plaque.

Many families find that the site itself becomes the memorial: somewhere to return to across the seasons, to walk, to sit quietly, to feel close to the person they have lost.

Grief and support

Grief has no timetable. Some people feel the full weight of loss weeks or months after the funeral, once the practical activity has ended and the quiet sets in. There is no right way to grieve.

If you are struggling, please do reach out for support. Organisations that can help include:

• Cruse Bereavement Support: 0808 808 1677
• Sue Ryder Online Bereavement Community
• The Compassionate Friends
• Grief Encounter
• Your GP, who can refer you to counselling if needed

How Leedam Natural Burials can help

If you have chosen a Leedam burial ground for your loved one’s burial, this section explains what to expect from us and how the process works.

Our role

Leedam provides the burial ground and the resting place. We are not funeral directors. We do not collect or transport the body, and we do not manage the wider funeral arrangements.

What we do is care deeply about the land and about making the day itself as calm and supported as possible for your family.

Making a booking

You can arrange a burial with us through your funeral director, or by contacting us directly if you are organising a family-led funeral.

To make a booking, call us on 01600 716438. It helps to have a preferred date and time in mind before you call. We will then check the availability of the burial ground, that our custodian is free to welcome you on the day, and that the grave digger is available to prepare the grave. Once everything aligns, we will confirm the booking with you.

Before the burial

Before the burial takes place, we will need two things from you:

• the Certificate for Burial or Cremation, also known as the green form, or where applicable, a Coroner’s Order for Burial
• payment, received at least two days before the burial

Having these in place ensures everything is ready for the day and that you can focus entirely on the farewell.

On the day

The grave digger will prepare the grave in advance of your arrival. When you and your family arrive at the site, our custodian will be there to help with parking and to guide everyone gently to the grave.

Our aim is that the practical details are already taken care of, so that you, your family, and anyone leading the ceremony can give your full attention to saying goodbye.

After the burial

Once the ceremony has finished and everyone has left the burial ground, the grave digger will backfill the grave with care.

The following day, we will send you an email to check that everything went as you hoped and to follow up on anything that needs attention. We will also provide you with the burial certificate and the grave location details, so that you always know exactly where your loved one is resting and can return whenever you wish.

A final word

Death is not just a logistical event. It is one of the most significant moments in a family’s life together.

In amongst the forms and the phone calls and the decisions, try to find space for what matters most: being with the people you love, honouring the person you have lost, and allowing yourself to grieve.

You do not have to do any of this perfectly. You just have to do it.