13/02/2026
The First Call
When a loved one passes away the families we look after will, among other things, need to make what is known as a 'first call'.
This call represents the first occasion on which the family will have spoken to us as their chosen or appointed funeral director.
For many families this phone call can seem a little overwhelming and, in some way makes the loss of their loved one seem very real.
During the call a member of our team will extend their sympathy and best wishes to the family before then talking them through what happens next.
In order to best advise and support the family our team will ask a number of questions, a number of which can be found below.
* CALLERS DETAILS: We will ask the caller to provide a name, address and contact number aswell as their relationship to the person who has sadly passed.
*DETAILS FOR THE DECEASED: This will include the name, address, age, date of birth and date of death aswell as the location of their passing (home, care home, hospital etc) and religion.
*NEXT OF KIN DETAILS: If different from the person making the first call we will ask for the name, address, contact number and relationship to the deceased for a nominated next of kin.
*FUNERAL PLAN INFORMATION: Our team will also ask if the person who has passed had a funeral plan in place. If so we will ask for the funeral plan number and the address the person would have been resident at when the plan was first taken out.
*FUNERAL SPECIFICS: Although the finer details for the funeral will not be discussed at this stage we will ask whether we will (at a later date) be arranging a burial or a cremation.
*CLEARANCE: Should a family lose their loved one at home or in a community care setting such as a nursing home we will ask if their loved one has been cleared to come into our care. In asking this we are juat trying to establish whether a medical professional has certified the person's death before we make our way out to the property.
Whilst we of course appreciate the difficulty having these conversations presents we do encourage families to be as forthcoming with information as possible. The more information we have the better prepared we can be as we help families navigate the next steps.
