It is important to know what has to be done when a death occurs. If the death happens at home, you should contact a doctor and your funeral director immediately.  Ideally it should be your family doctor and he or she recently have been treating the person who has died and is able to identify the cause of death positively, the doctor will usually issue a Death Certificate.

As soon as the Death Certificate has been given, contact your funeral director who will arrange to transfer the deceased to the funeral home and for the registration of death.  Your funeral director will take care of all funeral arrangements for you.

If the death happens in hospital, the attending doctor should be able to issue a Death Certificate.  Your funeral director will then be able to act for you and arrange transport, the registration of death and arrangements for the funeral.

Sometimes a death can happen overseas or in another state, when this occurs contact your funeral director so that all customs or statutory requirements are attended to and transport of the deceased can be arranged.

If a death is sudden and the person not under the care of a doctor, and in apparent good health, it is necessary to notify the Coroner.

If the death is the result of an accident, the Coroner also has to be informed.  If the Coroner's Department is informed, the Department will contact the police who will arrange transport of the deceased to the Coroner's Court and prepare a report for the Coroner.  The Coroner contacts the deceased's doctor or requests an autopsy to establish the cause of death.

Sometimes it is necessary for the Coroner's Court to establish the identity of the deceased by formal identification. This can be done by anyone who knew the deceased, but it is important that the person who makes the identification knows the name, with correct spelling, and the age and occupation of the deceased.

As soon as the Coroner issues a Death Certificate, your funeral director can organise transport and arrangements for the funeral.