Advice
What to do when someone dies
Firstly, we are sorry that you have had a loss. Please don’t panic or feel rushed – We’re here to help and explain what you need to do.
Immediate steps to take...
What exactly happens next depends upon where your loved one has passed away and in what circumstances. Follow the steps that best describes your situation.
Death at Home
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Contact the Doctor
You will need to contact the doctors surgery that your loved one is registered to, and explain that you are ringing to report a death at home.
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Wait for the doctor to arrive
The surgery will arrange for a doctor to come out to your home. It’s likely that it could take a few hours before someone can come out to you, so try to take care of yourself while you wait.
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Call Us
After your doctor has been, please phone us and we will talk you through the process of bringing your loved one into our care.
Death in a Care Home or Hospice
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You should receive a call
If your loved one has passed away in a care home, or Rotherham and Barnsley Hospices, the staff will usually ring you to let you know.
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Tell them to ring us
You will need to let them know that you have chosen Peace Funerals as your funeral directors and which of our branches you want to use, so that they can contact us.
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We’ll take your loved one into our care
We will arrange to come and collect your loved one from the care home/hospice and bring them into our care. Usually this takes between one and two hours.
Death in a Hospital or St Luke’s and Ashgate Hospices
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You should receive a call
If your loved one has passed away in a hospital, the staff will usually ring you to let you know and explain their procedure.
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Ring us
When you are ready, you will need to contact us so that we can collect your loved one. It is normal for them to remain under the hospital’s care for a few days before they transfer to us.
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We’ll take your loved one into our care
We will arrange to come and collect your loved one from the hospital and bring them into our care.
Unexpected Death
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Call 999 or your Doctor
If your loved one has died suddenly or unexpectedly, you should first ring either the emergency services or your loved one’s doctor.
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Await their arrival
Someone from the emergency services or your doctors will come to you. It’s likely that it could take a few hours before someone can get to you, so try to take care of yourself while you wait.
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Await further instructions
The emergency services or doctor will try to determine the cause of death. If it is unclear, or under suspicious circumstances then they may report it to a coroner for further investigation.
If a coroner is involved then they will take care of your loved one initially and then advise on the next steps.
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Call us
Regardless of whether a coroner is involved or not, you can call us when you are ready to start to discuss the funeral arrangements.
Things to be done soon...
There are some jobs that you need to get done within the first few days of your loved one passing away. If you’ve got someone around to support you with these tasks, it can make a big difference.
Obtain a Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death
Before you can register your loved one's death, you need to know that the Medical Examiner has sent the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death to the registry office digitally.
You will receive a phonecall from the Medical Examiner over the coming days.
Register the death at the registry office
In Sheffield, you’ll need to book an appointment with the Sheffield Registry Office. You can do this online or over the telephone.
Online: www.sheffield.gov.uk/registeroffice
By Telephone: 0114 203 9427.
The Sheffield Registry Office is at the back of the Town Hall, on Pinstone Street, S1 2HH.
Decide upon having a Cremation or a Burial
If your loved one is going to be cremated, please let us know as soon as you can.
Call us to discuss the funeral arrangements
This meeting is where we help you work through what you want to happen on the day of the funeral. These meetings usually take place at one of our funeral homes but we can visit you at your home if you would prefer, or support you via phone calls and/or emails if distance is an issue.
For further information, please visit our Arranging a Funeral page.
We’re here to help
Please don’t feel you have to do this alone. Our team are on hand to provide personalised, practical help & advice no matter what your situation.