Funeral First Steps Dunstable Bedfordshire
First StepsHeritage Funerals is an independent, family-owned local funeral director based in Dunstable, Bedfordshire.
We would like to express our condolences to you, your family and friends for the loss of your loved one and appreciate this is a very sad and difficult time.
Heritage Funerals are available to you at all times of the day and night to give you guidance and support so you are able to take the first steps following the passing of your loved one. Please don’t hesitate to contact us 24 hours a day to get immediate advice towards your specific situation.
The first step you must take is to contact a doctor who can confirm the cause of death. They can then provide a Medical certificate of Cause of Death. You will need to present this to the Registrar at your appointment.
When someone dies at home.
If the person’s death is expected, you should contact your GP or the NHS out-of-hours services.
Once they have certified the death, when you are ready, contact us and we will come to collect your loved one and bring them into our care. This can be done immediately after the certification, or you may want to spend some time with the person beforehand.
This is a personal choice, and we will accommodate you in every way we can.
Please note that if the request comes outside of office hours, there will be a call-out charge of £250.
The GP will then inform the medical examiner of the death (ME). You should receive a call from the Medical Examiner in the following days.
Once the Medical Examiner has spoken with you and identified any concerns or questions that might require a coroner’s involvement, they will either issue the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) or refer the case to the coroner. This might be just a simple check and confirmation, or the coroner might decide to conduct further investigations. In such cases, the coroner will contact you. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with us if you need any advice or assistance with this process. Once the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death has been issued, you can then book an appointment to register the death, which should be completed within 5 working days after speaking with the Medical Examiner.
When someone dies in a hospital.
The process is the same as the above, except it will be managed by the bereavement office staff at the hospital. They will inform the medical examiner (ME) of the death, and once the ME has contacted you, the certificate of cause of death (MCCD) will be issued to the bereavement officer, who will then forward it to the Registrar. At this stage, you will then be able to book an appointment to register the death, and the hospital will release the body of the person who has died to your chosen funeral director. Unfortunately, hospitals will NOT agree to release a body until the MCCD has been received.
Due to the extra layer of checks, this process is taking longer than expected. Please bear with us; we will always do everything possible to bring your loved one into our care as quickly as possible.
When someone dies in a care home.
The care home staff will usually ask you to appoint a Funeral Director if a person is at the end of life care. Because care homes do not have mortuaries, they will contact us as soon as they have certified the death to come and collect the person and bring them into our care.
Please note that if the request is made outside of office hours, an additional fee of £250 will apply. After that, the process will be the same as when the death occurs at home (above).
When someone dies in a hospice.
The hospice staff will usually ask you to appoint a Funeral Director if a person is receiving end-of-life care. When a person dies, they will liaise with the GP who will then refer the death to the medical examiner (ME). The process will then be the same as when the death occurs at home (above). Once the MCCD has been issued, the body will be released, and we can then take them into our care.
If someone dies unexpectedly.
If someone dies unexpectedly, their death will be reported to the coroner, who may order a post-mortem or inquest. This process may take some time and could delay the funeral. It is always best to contact us, as we can help you manage this stressful situation.
Making the funeral arrangements.
Funeral arrangements can be made in person at our offices, at your home, over the phone, or via Skype or Zoom. Please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss your requirements. We are very flexible and will accommodate whatever is most convenient for you.
The legal paperwork will have to be signed either at our offices or at your home by the person taking responsibility for the funeral.