How long does a death certificate take?

[mrsmootoo]

Does anyone know how long a death certificate should take? If someone dies in hospital doesn't a hospital doctor provide this? Elderly relative has died from natural expected causes after a short stay in hospital, but we've been told the GP needs to get involved.
Thanks

It depends if a doctor is able to issue a certificate - I.e. do they know the cause of death? Does it need reporting to the Coroner (certain types of death always do)? You should be able to get more info from the Bereavement Office at the hospital.

Timing depends on whether a doctor's signoff, coroner's report or a full inquest is required.

Whatever happens, you should get either the death cert or an interim cert that you can use for all the same legal functions within a week or so.

My mother died on a Sunday in hospital and two doctors discussed likely cause on the followingTuesday and issued a medical certificate for the cause of death (no pm). The appointment with registrar took another couple of days. So less than a week in all.

The doctor needs to give a "Medical Certificate for cause of death", in my case that was DM's GP but if she died in hospital then I think it will be the hospital doctor.

Then you make an (online) appointment at her local Registrar of Births, Marriages and Deaths. I booked 2 days after death for an appointment 4 days after death. I was told to bring the Medical Cert and her NHS Medical Card (if available). I'm sure I only went once, so I must have had the death certs at that appointment.

Be sure to buy enough copies of the death certs to be able to handle the estate. Mostly people send them back, but if you are waiting for one to be returned before you send it to someone else it can make sorting out the will very slow. AFAIR it's cheaper to buy extra copies at the first appointment than to order more copies later.

All the timings will be very different if you need a coroner.