When someone dies in England and Wales the death has to be registered, deaths are registered by:
– a registered medical practitioner in attendance during the final illness of the person who dies will issue a medical certificate of the cause of death certifying a natural cause of death that is acceptable to the local Registrar of Deaths
– where that is not possible for any reason, the death must be reported to the local coroner and he or she may then issue a certificate after appropriate investigations or after an inquest has been held. This certificate will then allow the registrar to register the death