Registering a death

Following a death, the Medical Examiner service will be notified. This is a service where an independent doctor is required to review every death, whether in the hospice, hospital or in the community. The next of kin will be contacted to talk through the cause of death, the certification process and any concerns with regards to the care received. The Medical Examiner will contact the hospice doctors, who can then complete the death certificate.

This certificate is then sent to the Medical Examiner’s office to ensure the details are correct. The death certificate is then forwarded to the Registrar’s office ready for your appointment. In most cases you will be required to register a death within 5 days of death certificate being issued.

The death should be registered by a relative, but this doesn’t have to be the next of kin. If this is not possible then it can be registered by someone who was present at the death, the occupier of the building in which the death occurred or the person making funeral arrangements.

The local registration details are as follows:

Telephone: number is 01305 225153

E-mail: registrationinformation@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk

If the death requires referral to the coroner’s service, the death certificate will be produced following coroner’s enquiry. The need to register the death within 5 days does not apply in this case.

You will be required to provide the following information:

● The person’s full name at the time of death and any names previously used, such as a maiden surname

● Date and place of birth (please provide both town and county if they were born in the UK, or country if born outside of the UK)

● The person’s most recent occupation and their usual residential address

● The full name, date of birth and occupation of their spouse or civil partner

● Ideally, their NHS number, if this is easily accessible

You will be able to purchase one or more death certificates at a cost to you.

< GO BACK