GUIDELINES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Unlike many funeral providers, a Simplicity Cremation can be arranged entirely over the phone, so you’ll be able to arrange a funeral even if you are self-isolating due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19). You will not be required to visit a funeral home or have face-to-face interactions with a Funeral Director. To arrange a funeral, you can contact us via telephone or using our contact us form. Please be patient if we take a little while longer to answer the phone than normal, we are here for you and will speak to you as soon as we can. Our team are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
If the person died at home
If the person died at home unexpectedly, you should dial 999 and ask for an ambulance and police immediately. If the death was expected, you should call the person’s GP.
In England & Wales, the medical certificate of cause of death has to be signed by the doctor who saw the deceased during the last 14 days. If it is not possible for them to do so, the medical certificate of cause of death can now be signed by any other medical practitioner as long as they are able to state to their best knowledge the cause of death. This is the case, even if the person who has not passed away was not seen during the last 14 days.
During this time, deaths only have to be referred to the coroner where there is no medical practitioner who can advise of the cause of death or they are not available within a reasonable timeframe of the death. If a medical practitioner has any concerns surrounding the death, they will still be able to refer the death to the coroner.
If a person unfortunately dies in hospital, their next of kin or closest family members will be informed immediately. If the cause of death is known, a doctor at the hospital will issue a medical certificate of cause of death.
If your loved one passes away in hospital, they will be transferred to the hospital mortuary until you have arranged for their collection with a funeral provider.
The first things you will need to do will depend on where your loved one passed away
Find out what to do immediately
How this happens will vary depending on location, but it is likely that the medical cause of death certificate will now be sent electronically. The registrar may contact you to advise that they have received it and to arrange with you a convenient time to complete the registration over the phone.
For guidance on how to register a death in your area, we recommend you contact your local register office. You can find contact details and the address of your local register office on the GOV.UK website in England and Wales, or the Directory of Registrars in Scotland.
You will need to register the death within five days from the date of death in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and eight days in Scotland. Currently, most registrations now taking place remotely, mainly by phone.
Registering the death
If your loved one has died in hospital, we will bring them into our care a few days prior to the cremation, to prepare them in our quality mortuary facilities. We will make arrangements with the hospital directly to collect your loved one.
If your loved one died at home, in a care home or a hospice, there will be a charge of £250 to bring them into our as soon as we can. This charge covers care in our quality mortuary facilities for an extended period.
We are experienced and prepared to take care of people who have died under all circumstances, including COVID-19 related deaths. Please notify us immediately if the deceased or anybody in the immediate vicinity may have had Coronavirus or any of the associated symptoms.
If your loved one died at home, in a hospital, care home or hospice, we will arrange for them to be brought into our care.
Find out more
The date of the funeral will depend on availability at the nominated crematoria. At present, there are no delays as a result of the Coronavirus, however this may change in the coming weeks. For Intimate and Attended Funerals, we are still able to offer some flexibility on timings.
Unattended Funeral - We will decide on the crematorium and the date of which your loved one’s Unattended Funeral will take place. You will be notified when the cremation is complete.
Intimate Funeral - We will contact you to arrange the date of an Intimate Funeral, at one of our preferred crematoria local to the place of rest. An Intimate Funeral can take place at 9am, any day between Tuesday-Friday.
Attended Funeral - There is more flexibility on date and time when choosing an Attended Funeral, as this is not restricted to a morning slot. We will contact you to discuss availability, at the crematorium local to the place of rest. As with all of our funerals, this will take place on a working weekday (Monday to Friday).
You can find your nearest crematorium here. Please use the postcode/location of where your loved one is resting to determine the crematorium at which the cremation for an attended service will take place.
