informant

English translation: person registering the death

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:informant
Selected answer:person registering the death
Entered by: B D Finch

09:26 Oct 14, 2013
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Certificates, Diplomas, Licenses, CVs / Term on a UK death certificate
English term or phrase: informant
In a UK death certificate, there is a section titled " 7 (a) name and surname of informant." It is accompanied by "(b) Qualification." Does informant here signify the person requesting the death certificate? There are plenty of examples in google images.
Gül Kaya
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:50
person registering the death
Explanation:
In the UK a member of the family usually registers a death.

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/wales/ relationships_w/relationships_death_and_wills_e/what_to_do_after_a_death.htm
"... If your relative dies in hospital, staff will contact you, lay out the body and arrange for it to be taken to the hospital mortuary. You will then be asked to arrange for the body to be collected by funeral directors, who will normally take it to their chapel of rest. At the same time, you will be asked to collect the person's personal possessions.

Before a death can be formally registered, a doctor will need to issue a medical certificate giving the cause of death. In hospital, this is usually done by a hospital doctor, who will hand the certificate to you in a sealed envelope addressed to the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages. You will also be given a notice, explaining how to register the death. There is no charge for either of these. If the person has not been seen by a hospital doctor, their GP may be able to issue a certificate instead."

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Note added at 1 hr (2013-10-14 10:28:21 GMT)
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Note that, in England and Wales, the Death Certificate is actually a medical certificate confirming the death and the cause of death and is issued by a doctor. The relative or other person then has to take that to the Registrar of Births Deaths and Marriages within five days. The certificate that one obtains from the Registry is a "Certificate of Registration of Death", though it is commonly referred to as a "Death Certificate". There is, therefore, sometimes a bit of confusion about which of these certificates is being referred to.

I believe that anybody can subsequently ask for a copy "Certificate of Registration of Death" from the Registry, not just the person who registered the death.
Selected response from:

B D Finch
France
Local time: 22:50
Grading comment
Thank you for this very informative and expansive explanation
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +5person registering the death
B D Finch
4 +1yes — in a way
Tony M


Discussion entries: 5





  

Answers


16 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
yes — in a way


Explanation:
It means the person who 'informs' or 'notifies' the official bodies of the death — which indirectly does indeed mean they are applying for the death certificate. Once the authorities have been informed, then the certificate will be issued.

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Note added at 53 mins (2013-10-14 10:19:55 GMT)
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Ah, I see the real question now!
It isn't that "a family member could simply inform the registrar of a death" — naturally this has to be backed up by the doctor's certificate stating time, palce and acuse of death, if known! It is just that the faimly member is expected to do the leg work of submitting this to the registrar — saves a lot of paperwork passing slowly between bureaucratic departments! And of course, the family member is going to need this death certificate in order to be able to deal with all the things that need to be done after a death.
It is, of course, a moot point what happens if the family member simply doesn't bother to notify the death; it could take quite some time before the registrar actually got to find out about it by other means.

Tony M
France
Local time: 22:50
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks Tony. The reason I raised the question was I had thought that the authorities would be informed of a death by other authorities as it were, such as the police, a doctor, care home etc. It seemed a bit odd that a family member could simply inform the registrar of a death.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Thayenga: :)
26 mins
  -> Thanks, Thayenga! :-)

neutral  B D Finch: There are various other persons who may register the death (Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953) and registration is necessary for burial or cremation.
50 mins
  -> Thanks, B! I was only really trying to address Asker's question using their own choice of terms, but I agree that my rather-too-informal reply may not be helpful!
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52 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +5
person registering the death


Explanation:
In the UK a member of the family usually registers a death.

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/wales/ relationships_w/relationships_death_and_wills_e/what_to_do_after_a_death.htm
"... If your relative dies in hospital, staff will contact you, lay out the body and arrange for it to be taken to the hospital mortuary. You will then be asked to arrange for the body to be collected by funeral directors, who will normally take it to their chapel of rest. At the same time, you will be asked to collect the person's personal possessions.

Before a death can be formally registered, a doctor will need to issue a medical certificate giving the cause of death. In hospital, this is usually done by a hospital doctor, who will hand the certificate to you in a sealed envelope addressed to the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages. You will also be given a notice, explaining how to register the death. There is no charge for either of these. If the person has not been seen by a hospital doctor, their GP may be able to issue a certificate instead."

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2013-10-14 10:28:21 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Note that, in England and Wales, the Death Certificate is actually a medical certificate confirming the death and the cause of death and is issued by a doctor. The relative or other person then has to take that to the Registrar of Births Deaths and Marriages within five days. The certificate that one obtains from the Registry is a "Certificate of Registration of Death", though it is commonly referred to as a "Death Certificate". There is, therefore, sometimes a bit of confusion about which of these certificates is being referred to.

I believe that anybody can subsequently ask for a copy "Certificate of Registration of Death" from the Registry, not just the person who registered the death.

B D Finch
France
Local time: 22:50
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 8
Grading comment
Thank you for this very informative and expansive explanation

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Tony M
1 min
  -> Thanks Tony

agree  Charles Davis
6 mins
  -> Thanks Charles

agree  Martin Riordan
1 hr
  -> Thanks Martin

agree  Yvonne Gallagher
4 hrs
  -> Thanks gallagy

agree  AllegroTrans
6 hrs
  -> Thanks AT
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