Brisbane's Most Reliable Funeral Director

Image of when someone dies

When Death Occurs

When someone dies, it can be difficult to know what to do. If you feel overwhelmed, take the time to call a family member, or a friend who will support you. What you do next depends on where the person died and how the death occurred. If you are not sure, please call Tony Hollands Funerals, at any time of the day or night, on 07 3392 9919 for assistance.

What to do when someone dies

In a Nursing Home or Private Hospital 

This is an image of a Nursing Home Hallway
If someone has passed away at a nursing home or private hospital and you are not already there, the staff will usually contact the next of kin and the nominated funeral director. (See our Nursing Home Placement Form)
If you wish to spend time with your loved one, or wait until other relatives or friends arrive, inform the staff so they can pass this information on to Tony Hollands Funerals.

If you have not nominated a funeral director, do not feel pressured into a decision. Call Tony Hollands Funerals as we will not charge you directly for transferring your loved one into our care, we will forward the invoice to your nominated Funeral Director. You are under no obligation to use our services. All we require is a Cause of Death Certificate (signed by the deceased's doctor) or a Life Extinct Certificate (usually signed by a registered nurse) to transfer the deceased into our care.

Transfer of the deceased into the care of our funeral home will usually take place soon after death, as most Nursing Homes and some Private Hospitals do not have their own holding facilities.

In a Public Hospital

The hospital administration will complete necessary documents, such as the Cause of Death Certificate. However, it will be up to the family of the deceased to contact a funeral director. As most public hospitals have a holding facility, transfer of the deceased into our care would occur during weekday business hours.

At home under Palliative Care 

Contact the Palliative Care Nurse (make sure you have daytime and after-hours phone numbers available). Call a family member or friend if you want them to be with you. When the Palliative Care Nurse arrives, they will verify that death has occurred.

The Palliative Care Nurse will also assist with any preparations that are required, such as issuing a Life Extinct Certificate and contacting the deceased's Doctor. The deceased’s body can stay at home in a cool, dry room for a period of time (it is recommended to turn off, or remove, any sources of heat). This is especially important if you need time for relatives and friends to come and say their goodbyes.

When you’re ready, contact Tony Hollands Funerals on 07 3392 9919 . We require a Cause of Death Certificate (signed by the deceased's doctor) or a Life Extinct Certificate (usually signed by a registered nurse) to transfer the deceased into our care.

A sudden death at home

Call an ambulance on 000. Ambulance personnel can verify that death has occurred. As the death is of a sudden or unexpected nature, the ambulance personnel will usually call the police.

If the police believe there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death, they will attempt to call the deceased's doctor. If the doctor is prepared to sign a Cause of Death Certificate, please contact Tony Hollands Funerals on 07 3392 9919 after the doctor's departure to arrange the transfer. We require a Cause of Death Certificate (signed by the deceased's doctor) or a Life Extinct Certificate (usually signed by the ambulance personnel) in order to transfer the deceased into our care.

If the police believe there are suspicious circumstances surrounding the death, or if they can’t reach the deceased's doctor, or that doctor is unwilling or unable to sign the Cause of Death Certificate, then the Police will contact the Government Undertaker to convey the deceased person to the Government Mortuary. You do not have to use the Government Undertaker for a funeral service, as their current role is just to transfer the deceased.

If the deceased's doctor cannot be reached initially, but later agrees to sign the Cause of Death Certificate, a post mortem (autopsy) will not be carried out and you can call Tony Hollands Funerals on 07 3392 9919 to transfer the deceased into our care. Otherwise, the Coroner will arrange to hold a post mortem (autopsy) in order to determine the cause of death. At any stage of this process, you can call us and we will provide you with support and guidance.

Once the post mortem has been performed, the deceased is available for release using a Coroner's Order for either burial or cremation.

Tony Hollands Funerals will submit the appropriate paperwork to obtain the Coroner's Order and transfer the deceased into our care.

What happens when you contact us?

When your loved one passes and you contact the team at Tony Hollands Funerals, we’ll organise a time that's convenient for you to make funeral arrangements. In order to proceed, we require information about the deceased, including full name, residential address, date of birth, date of death, place of death, and if possible, some funeral service details.
We'll also need to know who will authorise us to carry out the funeral service. This person, known as the Applicant, will be legally and financially responsible for the funeral arrangements. Details of the Applicant we require include full name, residential address, contact numbers, and we will need to view photo identification that includes the Applicant's date of birth at the time of the arrangement.
We request that all Applicants gather the information that is required to register a death in Queensland. These details and other useful information regarding funeral arrangements are conveniently summarised in our Funeral Information Booklet.

For help when death occurs, call us on 07 3392 9919 day or night, seven days a week.

For help when death occurs,
call us on 07 3392 9919 day or night,

seven days a week.