Expected Death at Home

Once somebody has died the death needs to be confirmed. This is best done by contacting the GP practice where the deceased was registered and requesting a doctor to visit to examine the body and confirm the death. If the death occurred whilst the GP surgery is closed the out of hours doctors can be asked to visit. The out of hours doctors service telephone number can be obtained by phoning the usual GP surgery and listening to the answer message or alternatively you can phone 111 who will assist you. If the ambulance crew are present they can also confirm the death of a person or if the deceased was cared for by the palliative care team the out of hours palliative care nurses can also confirm a death. In each case information will be passed to the deceased’s GP practice as soon as possible so medical records are updated.