What To Do First

The information below can also be found on the Scottish Executives| website along with further information on medical certificates, accidental, violent or unusual deaths and organ donation.

If the Death Ocurrs at Home

• Contact the family doctor.
• Contact the nearest relative.
• Contact the police if the death was violent, accidental or if there are unusual circumstances or if the cause of death is not known for certain. If the police are called do not remove anything in the room.
• Contact the relevant minister of religion. 
• If it was the wish of the dead person or their nearest relative that the body organs should be donated for transport or medical research purposes, the doctor will have to be contacted quickly so that the corneas can be removed. Other organs cannot normally be used when death occurs at home, but the body can still be donated to medical science.
• Contact an undertaker who will arrange for the laying out of the body.
• Find out if there is a will, and if so, where it is and who is responsible for dealing with it.

If the Death Occurs in Hospital

The Charge Nurse or the police (if the death was accidental) will tell the nearest relative and will arrange a convenient time for you to attend the hospital, when you will be asked to:

• Identify the body, if the person was not a patient of the hospital.
• Give permission for a post mortem in cases where there is no legal requirement but clinicians wish to have one.
• Provide either confirmation of the estate or receipt as beneficiary to allow you to take away any personal possessions.
• If you know the person wished to donate their organs after death, you should let the hospital staff know, but it is more likely that they will approach you if the circumstances are likely to favour organ donation. You should also let staff know if the body is to be donated to medical science.
• Contact an undertaker who will arrange for the laying out of the body.
• Find out if there is a will, and if so, where it is and who is responsible for dealing with it.
• Obtain a death certificate.

If the Death Occurs Abroad

Register the death according to the local regulations in the country and obtain a certificate of death.

Register the death with the British Consul, so that a record of the death will be kept in Scotland, and you will be able to get a copy later from the General Register Office for Scotland|.