A funeral is the last chance to say goodbye to a loved one and can be a very emotional time. It is of paramount importance that the arrangements are carefully considered as they can only be carried out once with most funerals being either a Burial or Cremation. It is advisable to call the funeral director on 0141 889 6351 when possible to advise the death has occurred and give advice on the ‘First Steps’

First Steps

When death occurs at home

If the death was expected, as the deceased had been ill for some time, it would be normal to contact their Doctor OR NHS 24 (Tel 111) as soon as possible who would then visit to certify that death had occurred and determine the cause of death. This may not happen immediately as the Doctor may be in his/ her surgery, or death may happen in the middle of the night. Once the doctor is certified the death, call the funeral director on 0141 889 6351 where they can advise the next steps and attend to bring your loved one in to our care.Thereafter, the Doctor will issue the relatives a form called the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death.

*If the death was not expected or cause of death cannot be determined then the Doctor will refer the death to the Police/Procurator fiscal who will then work on your behalf to investigate the cause of death. When satisfied the investigation is complete and cause of death has been determined they will issue the death certificate.

When death occurs in hospital / nursing home

Unless present when death occurs, the next of kin will be notified by the nursing staff as soon as possible. Arrangements can then be made with the Hospital /Nursing Administrative staff to deal with the formalities. These will include collecting the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (issued by a Hospital Doctor) and any personal possessions.

Once the doctor is certified the death, call the funeral director on 0141 889 6351 where they can advise the next steps and attend where possible to bring your loved one in to our care.

*Again, if the death is not expected the procurator will follow the steps above until satisfied and issue the death certificate thereafter.

Registering a Death

Once the Doctor, Hospital or Fiscal has issued the Medical Certificate, the Informant must register the death within 8 days at the Registrar. Normally this would be in the local district registrar but this can also be done at any registrar in Scotland.

• The Medical Certificate and the deceased’s Medical Card (if available) must be given to the Registrar including the following information:-
  Name, job title, address, date and country of birth of the person who has died;
• Full names, former names and job titles of any ex-husband, ex-wife or ex-civil partner of the person who died;
• Full names, former names, job titles and dates of birth of any husband or wife or civil partner who is still alive;
• Full names and job titles of the parents of the person who has died including the mothers maiden name.
• Name and address of the family doctor of the person who has died.
• It is also advisable to take the deceased birth certificate, marriage certificate (If applicable) and medical card/number.

* Currently, there is no need to contact the registrar directly to make an appointment.  Once the registrar has received the Medial Certificate Form (Form 11) from the hospital or GP, the registrar will contact the next of kin or informant directly by telephone.  The hospital or GP will advise the registrar of your contact details when submitting the Medial Certificate Form (Form 11). Please see our links page for a list of local registrars contact details.

Arrangements 

When ready the next of kin or person taking responsibility for the funeral arrangements can make an appointment to meet with us either at our comfortable premises at 149 George St, Paisley or in the comfort of their own home where we will take them through all the choices available and things to consider. We only get one chance to ensure that the funeral is as unique or personal as the family or deceased would like it to be, this meeting can take approx 1-2hours allowing adequate time to ensure that all decisions are made and any questions be answered. An estimate will always be given at the end of the arrangement, confirmation of the choices made and a list of items outstanding.

The main decisions to be made will include

• Will the funeral be burial or cremation
• Will the service be religious or non religious
• Where will the service take place
• Transport choices available for the deceased and family – Hearse/horse drawn hearse/ limousine(s) etc
• Items to personalise the funeral – Order of Service, obituaries, music, floral tributes, donations, etc

If the deceased had a funeral pre-payment plan in place, then most choices will already be made leaving the family or person taking responsibility, to register the death. A meeting will still need to take place to confirm details of the funeral as per the deceased wishes.