Free help and support for British Seniors customers and their families
We understand that losing someone you love can be a very difficult and emotional time. Many of us don’t realise that as well as experiencing the emotions that follow a loved one’s death, there can be a lot of practical work to do, most of which may be unfamiliar to you.
That’s why here at British Seniors we’ve teamed up with the National Bereavement Service to offer help and support for you and your loved ones when it matters.
To help and support you, the National Bereavement Service have produced the below guide to summarise the tasks into four simple steps; notification, funeral, wills, and probate. Please note, this guide is not comprehensive so please call the National Bereavement Service if you are unsure whether all of these steps apply to your circumstances.
The National Bereavement Service also works with a variety of organisations and can signpost you to local and national services for bereavement counselling and other support you may need.
The National Bereavement Service understands that every loss is different, and they can help you with your circumstances and it may be useful to talk to someone. You can call them free on 0800 024 6185 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday, Saturday 10am to 2pm (excluding bank holidays). Alternatively, visit the website which offers a wealth of information www.theNBS.org.
Step One: Notification
To notify any organisation officially about the death, you will need to obtain a Certified Copy of Death Certificate from the Registrar of Deaths or an Interim Certificate of the fact of death from the coroner if they have an ongoing investigation into the death.
The patient’s GP or the hospital doctor submits their proposed cause of death to the Medical Examiner who will confirm their agreement and then the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death will be forwarded electronically to the Registrar. Or if the death was unexpected, unnatural or the cause unknown, the death is referred to the coroner by a doctor or the police. You will be informed when you may make an appointment with the Registrar of Births and Deaths local to where the person died. The GP/hospital or Coroner may give you the details for this.
If the death and/or the funeral is overseas, or you are unsure of where to register the death please contact us for help. Tell Us Once (TUO) is a free service that allows you to report a death to central and local government departments. When registering the death, you will be given a unique code to use the Tell Us Once Service. TUO is not available in Northern Ireland and is not normally available for deaths overseas.
There are many organisations who need to be told about the death in addition to family and friends. This can be daunting and time-consuming. The National Bereavement Service have a checklist leaflet to help you know who to inform and record when you have done this. You can find it on their website under the Quick Guides tab.
Step Two: Funeral
You will need to contact the Funeral Director to discuss the arrangements you need to make for the funeral. The Funeral Director can arrange for a Minister/ Celebrant to conduct the ceremony if you have not already done so.
Please get in touch with the National Bereavement Service if you would like them to find the nearest Funeral Director to you. They only signpost to Funeral Directors who are members of professional associations with high standards. Check if there is a funeral plan, or the Will may have specific requests for the funeral arrangements. You should not confirm funeral arrangements until you know how the funeral will be paid for. If you are unsure, please call the National Bereavement Service.
Step Three: Looking for the Will
You need to find out whether the deceased person made a Will and obtain it. Original Wills may be located at the deceased person’s home. However, if a Solicitor/ Will writer wrote the Will it may be stored at their offices with a copy being provided at the time it was written.
If you know there is a Will and it cannot be found, please call the National Bereavement Service. The Will normally names an Executor(s) who should gather all documents relating to property ownership/rental and financial affairs associated with the estate. If there is no Will, the deceased person died “Intestate” and there is a process to establish who may be appointed as Administrator to deal with the estate.
Step Four: Probate
Managing the Estate Probate is not needed after every death, as it depends on the money, property and other belongings they have left behind and who will inherit them. If it is needed, the legal process is very similar whether or not there is a Will. There are some differences in the forms and if there is no Will, the Rules of Intestacy dictate who will inherit. Note that the rules in Scotland are very different to the rest of the United Kingdom.
It will depend on both the complexity of the estate and your confidence with paperwork administration whether you can carry out probate yourself or choose to use a legal professional. It is important to ensure it is done correctly and any tax owed is paid on time, or the person carrying out probate becomes liable to rectify any mistakes.
If you would like a conversation to explore your options, please call the National Bereavement Service. They can introduce you to expert ethical solicitors if that turns out to be the right choice for you.
What is the National Bereavement Service?
The National Bereavement Service is a not-for-profit organisation providing free practical support and guidance to every person needing help at the difficult time following someone’s death.
National Bereavement Service can help you with any aspect of dealing with a bereavement. Their free service includes:
- How to register the death
- Guidance on dealing with the coroner
- Finding a reputable funeral director
- Advice on overseas issues following a death
- Information on bereavement related benefits
- Advice on the ‘Tell Us Once’ service to notify central and local government agencies of the death
- Advice on Wills and their validity
- Advice on how to administer the estate, whether or not probate is needed and whether or not there is a Will
- Information on how to choose between DIY probate and using professional legal support and how to find this
- Signposting to trusted organisations that can help with any specific emotional needs
- Suppressing mail addressed to the deceased person
- Support with planning ahead for your own death or that of someone else
- Writing a Will
- Lasting Power of Attorney
- Estate Planning
Call the National Bereavement Service on 0800 024 6185 or visit www.theNBS.org for more information or to chat to an advisor online.