What to Do When Someone Dies at Home

A death at home can be expected under an end-of-life plan or sudden and unexplained. Make the appropriate clinical or emergency call first; those professionals will tell you what needs to happen next.

If there is any chance the person may still be alive, call 999. For an expected death, follow the written care plan and contact the GP, palliative care team or NHS 111. Those professionals can explain whether you can take time with the person before the next step.

The immediate route depends mainly on whether the death was expected, whether there is a care plan, and what the 999, GP, NHS 111, or palliative-care professional advises.

The first moments

If you were with your loved one when they died, or you have just found them, the most important question is: was this death expected? Were they under the care of a GP or palliative care team for a terminal illness? Or was this sudden, with no warning?

The answer determines who you call first. If the death was expected, you call the GP or NHS 111. If it was unexpected, you call 999.

If you are not sure which category applies, call 999. It is always better to call and be told it was an expected death than to not call when you should have.

Expected death: who to call and when

If your loved one was under the care of a GP, district nurse, or palliative care team for a terminal illness, their care plan may describe the death as expected and state who should be called. Use that plan and the local clinical contact.

During GP surgery hours: Call the GP surgery and tell them your loved one has died. Ask for a suitable healthcare professional to verify the death, following any end-of-life plan. The practice will explain who will attend and when.

Outside surgery hours — evenings, nights, and weekends: Call NHS 111. Tell them someone has died at home and you need a healthcare professional to verify the death. They will advise on, or arrange, the appropriate local response. If an end-of-life plan gives a different number, use it. Ask for advice rather than deciding without clinical guidance that it can wait until morning.

Once an expected death has been verified, you can call the funeral director. Tell the attending professional and funeral director if you want time before collection so they can advise what is safe and practical.

Unexpected death: call 999

If the death was sudden and unexpected — a heart attack, a fall, or any death where the cause is not immediately clear — call 999 and follow the operator's instructions. The emergency services will decide who needs to attend.

The 999 operator will guide you through what to do. They will ask questions and may give CPR instructions. Do not make your own clinical decision about CPR; follow the operator unless attending professionals take over or there is a recognised care plan.

Ambulance staff may attend, and the police may also attend so the circumstances can be recorded and the coroner informed where required. Police attendance does not by itself mean wrongdoing is suspected. The response and time taken depend on the circumstances.

If the death is reported to the coroner, the emergency services or coroner's office will explain any transfer and whether a post-mortem or other investigation is needed. The initial transfer may use local arrangements rather than your chosen funeral director. You can nominate a funeral director for care after the coroner releases the person.

Verification of death

For an expected death, a suitable healthcare professional normally verifies that the person has died before the funeral director collects them. Local policy and the circumstances determine who can do this: it may be the GP, an out-of-hours doctor, a district nurse, a paramedic, or a palliative care nurse.

Verification is different from the medical examiner and registration process. Verification simply confirms that the person has died. The doctor and medical examiner process comes later and confirms when the death can be registered.

Medical examiner confirmation

The medical examiner process is the step that allows death registration to go ahead in England and Wales. Without registration, you cannot get the certified death certificate copies that banks, pension providers, insurers and the Probate Registry may ask to see.

For an expected home death, the GP or attending doctor will usually start the certification process and contact the medical examiner. The medical examiner is an independent senior doctor who checks the recorded cause of death and was not involved in the person's care. Their office may contact you to explain the cause of death and answer questions about the healthcare provided before the person died.

In practical terms, wait until the medical examiner's office confirms that the death can be registered before you book the register office appointment. The 5-day registration deadline in England and Wales starts from that confirmation, not from the moment the person died.

Calling the funeral director

Once the death has been verified, you can call a funeral director to arrange for your loved one to be brought into their care. Ask the attending professional and funeral director what timing is safe and practical if you want time before collection.

You choose the funeral director. The GP or NHS 111 will not choose for you, though they may give you a list of local directors if you ask. Take your time with this decision. Funeral directors vary significantly in price and approach, and you are not obliged to use the first one you call.

Collection arrangements and out-of-hours availability vary. Ask about timing, transport, price and where the person will be cared for before agreeing.

Keeping your loved one at home

Families may want time with the person at home after an expected death. Tell the professional who verifies the death and the funeral director. They can advise on safe care, timing and any local requirements.

If cultural, religious or personal practice affects timing, raise it early. Do not rely on room temperature alone: the funeral director or healthcare team should advise what is practical in the circumstances.

If your cultural, religious or personal wishes include bringing the person home after they enter a funeral director's care, discuss this with the funeral director. They can explain what is lawful, safe, and practical in the circumstances.

Medical equipment and medication

If your loved one was using medical equipment at home — a hospital bed, a hoist, oxygen equipment, a syringe driver — leave it in place until you have spoken to the district nurse or palliative care team. They can explain the safe next step and who is responsible for collection or return. Do not try to return equipment yourself.

If there was a syringe driver (a device that delivers medication continuously), leave it in place and do not remove its battery or disconnect it. Contact the district nurse or palliative care team.

Unused medications — particularly controlled drugs like morphine — should be kept secure. Ask the care team or call a community pharmacy before returning them, particularly controlled drugs. Do not put them in household waste or flush them.

What happens next

Once the immediate practicalities are handled, the process follows the same path as any other death. In England and Wales, register the death within 5 days of medical examiner confirmation. Ask known organisations what evidence they need before deciding how many certified death certificate copies to buy. Copies currently cost £12.50 each in England and Wales. Use the Tell Us Once service within 28 days of the registrar's reference to notify government departments in one step. Banks, insurers, utilities, employers and private pension providers still need separate contact. EstateManager can help you keep the medical examiner confirmation, registration appointment, Tell Us Once reference, certificate copies, funeral director details, medication notes and follow-up tasks in one place.

Common questions