AJ Lock Weston-Super-Mare & Burnham-on-Sea - Some Useful Information when planning a funeral

In cases when someone passes away in hospital, the hospital staff will issue a Medical Certificate and formal notice and provide information about how to register the death. The deceased will usually be kept in the hospital mortuary until the caring funeral staff at AJ Lock Caring Funerals arrange for your loved one to be brought into our care.

In cases where someone has passed away at home, we recommend that you call their GP or the NHS helpline 111 as soon as possible. The doctor will then be able to examine the deceased and confirm the death. Then they will be able to issue the Medical Certificate and formal notice, providing you with information on the next steps.

If someone passes away suddenly or unexpectedly, call 999 straight away to request an ambulance and the police. Stay on the line and follow any instructions given to you. The emergency services will often contact a coroner to investigate the death.

In cases where someone has passed away while abroad, you will need to register the death according to the regulations of the country in which your loved one has passed and get a consulate death certificate. You will also need to register the death in the UK. AJ Lock Caring Funerals offers a repatriation service back to the UK. 

Regardless of where your loved one passed away, you will need to get a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death as soon as possible. The certificate will contain information about registering the death and will be given to you in an envelope. 

Registering the death is required by law and must be done within five days in England and Wales, or within eight days in Scotland. You can register the death at:

Town Hall

Walliscote Road

Weston-super-Mare

North Somerset

BS23 1UJ

Telephone: 01934 888888

Morgan House, 

Mount Street, 

Bridgwater, 

TA6 3ER 

Telephone: 01278 422527

You will be required to have a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death in order to register a death, but you may need other paperwork and information at the registry office. When you have provided the registrar with all the required paperwork and information, you will receive any relevant forms, including the Death Certificate, which allows either burial or cremation to go ahead.

Unfortunately, your loved one’s funeral may need to be delayed if a coroner is called to investigate the death. A coroner is typically appointed by the local authority to investigate a death when:

A post-mortem is sometimes required by a coroner to determine the cause of death.

If a post-mortem shows an unnatural or unknown cause of death, the coroner may open an inquest, during which evidence will be reviewed about how the person died. 

We can help you arrange for your loved one to be brought into our care. We will require the following information prior to bringing the deceased into our care: