Where to start...

Choosing a funeral director can be very difficult but it is an important decision. Andrew Bingham Independent Funeral Service is a caring and friendly company and we are extremely proud of our reputation, we have received some lovely testimonials from our wonderful families.

Sometimes a death may be expected, but nothing prepares us for the emotional shock of losing someone close. Making funeral arrangements can seem very confusing but with our help and guidance, we will endeavour to make it as straight forward as possible.

Making the first call

Your call to us is very important and we are here 24hrs, 7 days a week, the phone will be answered by one of our staff and we will support you explaining and guiding you every step of the way. (we do not use call centres)

When someone dies at home

Please contact your own Doctor or on call Doctor, district nurse or terminal care nurse. When one of these medical professionals has confirmed the death, you can then contact ourselves, it does not matter what the time of day it is, we are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.There is no rush and if you wish to spend more time with your loved one at home you are welcome to do so and when you are ready, two members of our staff will then bring your loved one into our care.

When someone dies in hospital

You no longer need to attend the hospital to collect the medical cause of death certificate, this will be sent electronically from the hospital to the medical examiner. The medical examiner will contact you.

When someone dies in a nursing home

The staff may be qualified to confirm that death has taken place or alternatively the home will arrange for a doctor to visit. Once the death has been confirmed, the home or yourselves can contact us to make arrangements for bringing your loved one into our care at any time day or night. The doctor will send the medical cause of death to the medical examiner and the medical examiner will contact you.

When someone dies unexpectedly

If a doctor is unable to confirm the cause of death, if it is unexpected or an accident, the coroner may be involved. The coroner will arrange for your loved one to be taken to a local hospital, this will be carried out by a funeral director who is contracted by the coroner (you do not have to use this funeral director for the funeral arangements). The coroner and ourselves will keep you informed as to what to do next depending on the situation.

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We are here to help and guide you.

Registering A Death

Changes From the 9th September 2024, following a death and after being notified, the doctor will complete the death certificate (MCCD) and then email it to a medical examiner along with the medical records. The medical examiner looks at all the information and contacts the NOK/family to confirm that the information is correct. Once satisfied the Medical examiner will then email the certificate to the registrars allowing the NOK/family to make an appointment to regsiter the death.

A member of the family should ideally register the death. If this is not possible it should be someone who was present at the death, the person organising the funeral or the occupier of the premises in which the death occurred.

Appointments

All registration offices in Suffolk operate an appointment system, please click on this link Suffolk Registrars to make an appointment.

Details you will need to provide

Medical certificate of the cause of death - signed by the doctor (this will automatically be sent to the registrar)
Date and place of the death
Full names of the deceased, including any other names which may have been used - including maiden surname if the person who died was a married woman or a widow - please bring marriage certificate, if applicable
Usual home address and post code
Date and place of birth of the deceased - please bring birth certificate, if available
Occupation of the deceased
Full name, date of birth and occupation of the spouse (for a married or widowed woman) or civil partner
National Health Service number, if known, or the medical card or Serco letter from the Health Authority

Documents you will receive from the Registrar

If a post-mortem is not being held:

A certificate for burial or cremation, (the green form), giving permission for the burial or cremation to take place (we will require this form from you)
A certificate of registration of death (form BD8), issued for Social Security purposes, if the deceased was on a state pension or benefits
Death certificates are available to purchase at the Registration at £11.00 per copy. You can purchase more after the registration, however the price does increase.

Tell Us Once

This is a free service, offered as part of the Registration appointment.

With your permission, information is shared with other Government departments and agencies, advising that the death has occurred, such as Department for Work and Pensions, Council Tax, Blue Badge, Passport. More details can be found on the gov.uk website.

Deaths involving the Coroner

If the death has been reported to the Coroner, the Registrar cannot register the death until the Coroner's enquiries are complete. You will be advised by the Coroner's officers when registration can take place. If an inquest is to be held, you will not need to attend an appointment to register the death.

Making the funeral arrangements

At the time of making the arrangements you will be given a fully itemised written estimate of all the costs, this will be followed up with a typed estimate. The funeral arrangements can be made at our living room style office or if you would prefer, in the comfort of your own home.

At the initial meeting we will explain the many options that are available and we will ask a number of questions. It is probable that you may not know all the answers and rather than rush into making the wrong decision, it is often best to take your time and to discuss it further with your wider family.

We believe everyone is unique and we will help you to organise the funeral that reflects your loved one, we offer a full range of funerals from a direct no attendance funeral to a fully bespoke traditional funeral.

Regardless of beliefs or culture we are able to offer many different ways to make the funeral an individual, special and memorable experience.

For more information please see 'Personalising a Funeral'

Visiting the chapel

For more information see 'Care of Your Loved One'.

Day before the funeral

Although we will be in constant touch with you between the arrangements and the funeral, we will give you a courtesy call the day before the funeral to confirm times etc regarding the funeral and that hopefully there isn’t anything unduly worrying you.

What to do when a death occurs