Guidance and Support
We help to support families to make informed choices and provide the emotional support and practical guidance required to help people through the most difficult of times. We will keep you informed of what needs to be done and when. We are proud of the customer care we provide and nothing will be too much trouble and we anticipate your needs to ensure everything goes smoothly.
What to do when someone dies
Death at Home
If your loved one dies at home and their death was expected, you should first call their GP to attend and confirm that death has taken place. If it is not during normal working hours, you should phone the out of hours GP on NHS 111. Once death has been confirmed, we will be able to take your loved one into our care to our private chapel of rest.
If your loved one dies at home and their death was not expected, you will need to call 999 paramedics. (note) if your loved one has not seen their GP 28 days before death, they will automatically be referred to the coroner for further investigation.
If the paramedics believe that circumstances of the death look suspicious, they will have to call the police and the deceased will have to be taken directly into the coroner’s care.
We have discrete transport which will guarantee a safe and dignified journey for your loved one. We are on call 24 hours a day and aim to be in attendance within an hour of your first call unless you require more time with your loved one. There are no legal obligations for us to take your loved one within any time frame, so you can spend as much time as you need as a family. When you call us we will ask you about this and also if all the family members who wish to visit your loved one have had the opportunity to do so.
Death In Hospital
If your loved one died in hospital the doctors who were treating them will issue a medical cause of death which will be sent directly to the Registrar which will then enable you to register their death.
Once you have registered the death, the registrar will give you a green certificate for burial or cremation. We will need this before the funeral can go ahead. However, we are still able to start making arrangements with you before this process is completed.
If the death was not expected, it will automatically be referred to the coroner who may decide if further investigations will be needed to establish the cause of the death.
When cause of death is determined the coroner will issue a certificate for burial or cremation. This will be sent directly to the us via email.
Registering the death
The process for registering a death has changed during the coronavirus outbreak. The doctor certifying the death will now send the medical certificate of death electronically to the registrar on your behalf.
You will need to contact the registry office by phone to make an appointment to register the death, in person.
You will need to contact the registry office to arrange for a call back from a registrar to register the death, The registrar will guide you step by step and will ask you questions about your loved one. You will be asked to provide some of the following information:
- Date of death - Place of death - Full name and surname of deceased and maiden surname (if applicable) - Date and place of birth of deceased - Occupation - Address - Full name of spouse (if applicable)
The registrar will advise you of a service ‘tell us once’, a process which will enable you to notify all of the government departments at once without having to provide a death certificate. There is no fee for registering a death however death certificates are available to purchase at £11.00 each.
Hereford Register Office
- Town Hall, St Owens Street, Hereford, HR1 2PJ
- Telephone: 01432 260565
- Monday, Tues, Weds, Thurs 9am – 4.30pm
- Friday 9am – 4pm
Support
At Golden Valley Funeral Services, it is important to provide transparent costs and affordable funerals, whilst still providing the highest level of bereavement care to our families.
Please do speak to us openly, and in confidence, over any concerns about costs. We can work with you to reduce costs and make the funeral affordable to you but still meeting your family’s needs.
At Golden Valley Funeral Services, we understand grief. We want to support you as you embark on this journey and are therefore proud to be partnered with SAIF Care. As part as this scheme, family members who use our services are able to use this helpline to seek further information and help.
SAIF Care bereavement support helpline, email and webchat services are free of charge to people who have used a SAIF members funeral service. Freephone 0800 9177224 9am-9pm Monday – Friday excluding bank holidays. Friendly supportive helpline staff who are available to offer information, advice, and a listening ear.
Learn more
Free Confidential Online Bereavement Support
We know that no-one can understand exactly what your loss feels like to you, but we do understand that it's sometimes easier to talk to someone outside of your friends and family about grief and the impact of bereavement to your life. We want to help support your access to bereavement care and this is why we offer the GriefChat online service.
By clicking the box below you are able to speak with a qualified, professional bereavement counsellor via online instant chat. This service is available Monday to Friday 09:00 - 21.00 (GMT), no matter where you are in the world at no cost to you.
GriefChat can also provide you with one to one counselling and information on support services in your area, as well as provide resources and information on how to better support bereaved people and provide an understanding on different types of grief.
Learn more