Medical Certificate of Cause of Death

This section will provide you with information on what steps you can follow in order to obtain a medical certificate of cause of death. If you require assistance, or are unsure, please contact us at anytime.

In hospital or in a hospice

If the person died in hospital you may have to wait for administrative staff to contact you to give you an appointment to collect the Certificate. The ward staff will tell you what to do at the time, although if you are unsure please call us. You can usually collect any belongings at the same time as the Certificate.

At home or in a care home

When a person dies in a care home or at home, the Certificate will be available at the doctor’s surgery. Often you will be shown the Certificate, but sometimes it will be in a sealed envelope, in which case you can ask what is written on it as the cause of death should you wish to.

If the death was unexpected

In these situations the police will attend as well as any health professionals who are called. If death is confirmed at the scene, the police will notify the Coroner (see The Role of The Coroner). The Coroner’s contracted funeral director will then move the deceased to hospital. You are not obliged to use this funeral director.

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