After someone dies, a medical examiner will check the cause of death to make sure it’s accurate.
They will be a senior doctor and they will not have been involved in the care of the person who has died.
The medical examiner’s office will then contact you to:
- explain the cause of death
- answer any questions you have about this or the healthcare provided to the person before they died
This is voluntary and you do not have to speak to them. You’ll also be contacted by the medical examiner’s office to confirm you can register the death.
There is useful information on what to do when someone dies on www.ageuk.org.uk
A death must be registered by the Registrar of Deaths in the district in which it occurred within 5 days of being notified by the Medical Examiner's Office unless the Registrar says that this period can be extended.
If the death took place on the mainland relatives should contact the Register Office in the district where the death took place.
- For Treliske or West Cornwall Hospital, contact the Truro Register Office on 0300 1234 181.
- For Derriford Hospital contact the Plymouth Register Office on 01725 268331 for instructions.
The Isles of Scilly Registration Service operates an appointment system for completing Registrations of Deaths occurring on the islands and will try to accommodate bereaved relatives as soon as possible.
For full details regarding Death Registration please visit www.gov.uk/register-a-death or contact the Register Office on 01720 424501 or registration@scilly.gov.uk.
The Registration service offers bereaved relatives the Tell Us Once service to help them contact government departments following the registration of a death. Full details and a list of documents required can be found on www.gov.uk/register-a-death. You may also wish to watch the Tell Us Once Information Video or the Tell Us Once BSL Information Video
For information regarding burials, please see the following link to our cemetery page.