If your loved one passes away in a hospital, the staff will guide and support you. You can spend time with your loved one until you feel ready to leave. Once you're ready, inform the staff, and they will care for your loved one until Gentle Hand Funerals makes arrangements. The doctor will let you know if the death requires a coroner's involvement. Transfers can only occur after the Cause of Death Certificate is issued, typically within 48 hours. The hospital will keep your loved one safe until the transfer is arranged.

If your loved one passes away at home, start by contacting either the family doctor or an ambulance, depending on the circumstances. If the death was expected, your doctor may have already explained the next steps. During the night, family members often choose to stay with their loved one until morning. At that time, contact your doctor to issue the Cause of Death Certificate and cremation permit papers if cremation is chosen. Notify Gentle Hand Funerals to arrange the transfer of your loved one into their care.

A coroner becomes involved in certain situations, such as when a death is sudden, unexpected, or unexplained. This includes violent or unnatural deaths, deaths without a known cause, or when the deceased had not seen a doctor in the last six months. If the death was an unexpected result of a medical procedure, the coroner will also step in. In these cases, a Cause of Death Certificate cannot be issued immediately.

If your loved one passes away in a nursing home, the staff will notify you if you weren’t present. They will contact a doctor and also call Gentle Hand Funerals to arrange the transfer of your loved one into care, as nursing homes don’t have mortuaries. If you provided Gentle Hand Funerals' details during admission, the staff will use this information to make arrangements if they can’t reach you. They will also work with the doctor to issue a Cause of Death Certificate.

If your loved one passes away unexpectedly, call an ambulance immediately. The ambulance staff will notify the police or, in some cases, your family doctor. If the doctor can issue a Cause of Death Certificate, you can then contact Gentle Hand Funerals to arrange the transfer of your loved one into care. If the doctor cannot determine the cause of death, the police will document the details and inform the coroner. The coroner will then arrange for your loved one to be taken to their mortuary for further investigation.