Knowing who to call is the first step when someone dies. In this blog, I’m going to let you know what to do, who to call and what happens next. Understanding the process will help you make informed decisions about your loved one’s care, and will let you know what you should expect from your funeral provider.
Don’t be taken advantage of
When someone dies, the people left behind can be in a state of shock, grief and a general sense of overwhelm can cocoon them from the world around. So very often, whether intended or not, people are misled, misinformed, and taken advantage of. The best way to combat this is to have open conversations about death, the processes around death, and most importantly, being prepared for death.
The importance of choice
Every time someone chooses MyRest, I am reminded of why I founded this company – to provide guidance, respect and true choice when it matters most. While everyone’s situation will be so very different, I can appreciate how a family may feel during a time just after a death. I want those families to know that I will be ready to support them in any way I can, and give them space where it’s needed.
Breaking down the steps after someone dies
My goal for you, whether using MyRest or not, everything runs smoothly. While the article below refers to a Funeral Service Provider (FSP), please remember that this is your person and in Queensland there is no requirement to use a FSP for any part of the funerary process. Check out our FAQs to learn about this.
HANDY HINT: Download a copy of the Personal Details Form from our website. Having this filled-in form is critical when the time comes. Whether you use MyRest, another FSP or handle the process yourself, this information is important to have ready to process the official Death Certificate without delay.
Here we go…
Stage 1. If your person dies at home, skip to Stage 3. If your person dies at hospital or an aged care facility, there is no need rush and call anyone – you have time.
Do not allow anyone to hurry you or to make decisions right now.
If they die in an aged care facility that doesn’t have a mortuary (most don’t), you have time to have a cup of tea and sit with your person for a couple of hours before starting to call around. Air Conditioning is more than enough at this stage.
Stage 2. A hospital will require the person making collection at the hospital to provide them with an Authority to Release (ATR) from the Next of Kin. The ATR is a way of the hospital transferring their responsibility for your person to either a funeral service provider (FSP) or mortuary transfer service. You can do this at any time – click here > Authority to Release . Aged care and hospice facilities vary in their processes so it may be best to find out in advance if planning a DIY funeral.
A doctor at the hospital will (and must within 48 hrs) provide a Form 9 – Cause of Death Certificate. The hospital will also not let a body leave without one. Go to Stage 4.
Stage 3. If your person dies at home, the circumstances leading up to the death will dictate what happens next. When a person is palliating (a terminal diagnosis and receiving only pain management) and/or local medical professionals are aware of the persons condition, the death should not be treated as an emergency. While in most cases, an ambulance is called, remember that;
- An ambulance is not required
- There is no immediate rush
- You can wait till morning and call your palliative nurse, GP, VAD Doctor or 000
When an ambulance is called, you can specify that the death is expected and there is no need for lights and sirens.
For all other deaths at home, a call to 000 is the first Stage. Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS), and often Police, will attend and provide a Life Extinct Form. The QAS examination will determine whether the death is reportable to the Coroner. Reportable deaths are those where;
- the identity of the person is unknown
- the death was violent or unnatural (eg. heart attack/vehicle accident)
- the death happened in suspicious circumstances
- the death was health care related
- cause of death (Form 9) is unlikely to be issued within 48 hours
- the death occurred in custody
- the death occurred in care
- the death occurred during or due to police operations
If QAS does not find the death to be reportable then they will usually advise that the Funeral Service Provider is called. Even if you are using such a service, there is no time frame set under Queensland law and you should not be pressured to do so immediately unless the situation with your person is unmanageable.
If your person is located in an awkward position (eg. the floor, outside etc…) ask QAS to assist in getting them to a location or position that suits you. While your person may be deceased, they should still be afforded the respect and dignity everyone deserves.
NB. Ensure the original Life Extinct Form stays with your person. Do not let QAS leave with the original form as it is required to transport your person until a Form 9 – Cause of Death Certificate is provided by a doctor.
If QAS finds the death to be reportable to the Coroner, skip to Stage 5.
Stage 4. If engaging a FSP, the next Stage is to contact them and arrange collection of your person or how they can help keep your person at home a little longer if you choose.
Stage 5. The FSP, or Government Contracted Undertaker (GCU) for reportable deaths, will arrive to collect your person. If the death was not a reportable one and has been collected by your FSP, skip to Stage 8.
Stage 6. Your person will be taken to the Coroner (usually in Brisbane or Southport). Once the Coroner has made their findings, the GCU will usually return your person to the nearest hospital to where they died. Sometimes they will be returned to a larger hospital due to capacity constraints. This process may take up to two or three weeks.
Stage 7. Your FSP will need to make application to the Coroner (REQUEST FOR FORM 14 – ORDER FOR RELEASE OF BODY FOR BURIAL (INCLUDING CREMATION). The FSP must provide the name of the person who engaged their services and the relationship to the deceased. This must match the information with the Coroner.
If your person is to be cremated, the FSP will also provide to the Coroner, Form 1 – Application for Permission to Cremate and the Coroner will provide them with Form 3 – Permission to Cremate.
Stage 8. Your person will be taken into care by your FSP. Between Stage 4 and now, the FSP will have organised a Form 9 – Cause of Death Certificate from either your person’s GP or a doctor at the hospital. If burial has been chosen, skip to Stage 10.
DIY TIP: It would be your responsibility to follow up with your person’s GP to ensure the Form 9 – Cause of Death Certificate is produced and made available to you.
Stage 9. Your FSP will engage an independent doctor with a Form 1 – Application for Permission to Cremate. The independent doctor will visit the Funeral Service Provider’s mortuary and examine the deceased body to ensure there is no cremation risk (eg. Batteries inside cardiac pacemakers or spinal stimulators pose an explosion risk at the crematorium). Once satisfied and/or any risks removed from the body, a Form 4 – Permission to Cremate (INDEPENDENT DOCTOR) will be provided. There is a fee associated with this service that is paid for by the FSP and passed on via the final invoice, whether listed or included in their professional fees.
DIY TIP: You would be responsible for arranging a doctor to do this for you. If you are in the Southern Downs region, and needed this service, get in touch.
Stage 10. Whether a funeral has been organised in advance or not, now is the time the FSP will book the cemetery/crematorium. This is usually called an Application for Burial, Order for Cremation or something similar.
A reminder now to ensure that the Personal Details Form is completed. This information can be lodged once your person has been buried or cremated and any delay in this information being provided to the FSP (or BDM directly if handling yourself), will result in a delay in processing the official Death Certificate from BDM.
Stage 11. On the day of burial/cremation, your person is transported to the facility where the burial/cremation takes place according to the funeral arrangements. If your person is to be buried, skip to Stage 13.
Stage 12. Anywhere from around 3 days onward, your ashes may be collected or returned. Collection can usually happen from around 3 business days and the name of the person collecting the ashes must be named in the Cremation Application (or the FSP can provide another name to the crematorium if necessary). The timeframe for returning ashes will depend on how they are returned. Most FSP will offer a postage service at a reasonable rate.
Stage 13. Anywhere from 2-4 weeks, the official Death Certificate should arrive. At MyRest we usually have this document sent directly to the applicant (most likely you, reading this article). Some FSP will have it sent to them where you will collect it.
Stage 14. Here at MyRest, I will check in with our client’s family to see that they have received the official Death Certificate. As a general rule (every situation is different), it is my belief that while providing contacts to client’s family – such as that of grief specialists – it is not my place to keep checking in. I am always available to anyone (whether they have used MyRest or not) and always happy to talk and provide information. That said, a call from us could be triggering for some people.
Summing up
While all this information may seem a little clinical, MyRest’s goal is to give you all the information you need to make decisions that are right for you. Understanding the process gives you knowledge and empowers you to ensure you are treated fairly, ethically, and lawfully.
If you do engage MyRest, please know that I, Ulick Baumann (and any member of my small but mighty team), will treat your person with care and dignity.
Here is a review of the forms you may encounter. You can find most of them under the RESOURCES tab in the section FORMS.
- Form 1 – APPLICATION FOR PERMISSION TO CREMATE
- Form 3 – PERMISSION TO CREMATE (CORONER)
- Form 4 – PERMISSION TO CREMATE (INDEPENDENT DOCTOR)
- Form 8 – Death registration application
- Form 9 – CAUSE OF DEATH CERTIFICATE
- (REQUEST FOR FORM 14 – ORDER FOR RELEASE OF BODY FOR BURIAL (INCLUDING CREMATION)
- Form 14 – ORDER FOR RELEASE OF BODY FOR BURIAL (INCLUDING CREMATION)