Bereavement services

All deaths occurring within the Shropshire Council area must be registered with one of the county's registrars.

Shropshire Council also operates the Cemetery at Longden Road, Shrewsbury and the Crematorium at London Road, Shrewsbury.

Our registration service and bereavement services staff will always be sensitive to the needs of grieving families.

On these pages you will find information about how to register a death, how to arrange a funeral or cremation and other information that we hope will be of help.

If the death occurs in hospital

If the death occurs in hospital, the hospital staff will contact the person identified as the next of kin. This may be, but need not be a relative. You may, if you wish, request to see the hospital chaplain. The hospital will arrange for the nearest relative to collect the deceased's possessions, and the hospital will keep the body in the hospital mortuary until the executor arranges for it to be taken away by the funeral director. Most funeral directors have a chapel of rest in which the deceased will be held pending the funeral.

If the death occurs elsewhere

1. Expected death
If the death was expected, contact the doctor who attended the deceased during their final illness. If the doctor can certify the cause of death he or she will give you the following:

• A Medical Certificate that shows the cause of death (this is free of charge and will be in a sealed envelope addressed to the registrar).
• A Formal Notice that states that the doctor has signed the Medical Certificate and tells you how to get the death registered.

You may wish to contact the deceased's minister of religion if you have not already done so. Arrangements for the funeral may be made by a funeral director.

2. Unexpected death
If you discover a body or the death is sudden or unexpected, you should contact the following people:

• The family doctor if known (please see our Healthcare Services section).
• The deceased's nearest relative.
• The deceased's minister of religion.
• The police, who will help find the people listed above if necessary.

If there is any reason to suspect that the death was not due to natural causes, do not touch or remove anything from the room. The death may be referred to the coroner. The doctor may ask the relatives for permission to carry out a post-mortem examination. This is a medical examination of the body which can find out more about the cause of the death and should not delay the funeral.

Follow the link for information about reporting a death to the coroner.

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