01246 277 271
The medical examiner and mortuary services aim to work together to provide a compassionate, efficient and safe service.
The bereavement and medical examiner service will focus on the administration of the death and issue documentation that will allow the registering of the death and any required funerals/arrangements.
In all we do and how we work, we know the death of a relative or friend is a tragic life event that will have an enduring impact on those left behind. We aim to treat all individuals and loved ones with dignity and respect.
Hospital (consented) post mortem examinations - to clarify the cause of death and extent of a known disease.
A medical certificate of the cause of death must be completed and handed to the relatives before the request for consent for examination. A fully completed hospital post mortem examination consent form must be signed by the relative/next-of-kin in the presence of the doctor requesting the examination. The doctor must complete a clinical summary.
The signed consent form and summary along with the medical records must be forwarded to the mortuary without delay. The examination will be carried out as soon as it is practicable and the requesting clinical team will be informed of the date and time and called down afterwards to see the results.
The medical records along with the completed clinical summary should be forwarded to the mortuary without delay.
The authorisation to carry out the examination and a brief account of the circumstances leading to the death is obtained from the Coroner's office by the mortuary staff.
Further information regarding death certification, cremation certification and any other general enquiry relating to death can be sought from the main mortuary office staff (2215), Service Manager (2217) or the duty Consultant Histopathologist (via the Histopathology Laboratory on 2262).
Information booklets are available for relatives from wards or the bereavement office, titled 'Examining the Body after Death’ and 'Bereavement'.
The Bereavement Service is staffed Monday & Friday 8.00am - 4.00pm.
The Bereavement Service is now in Suite 7 of the hospital and there is a dedicated car parking space available in car park 9 for visitors.
You can contact the bereavement service at 01246 512711.
Staff are available to supply the bereaved with accurate and useful information in a timely manner in order to assist the bereavement process.
The office runs an appointment system and the staff will keep in contact with the next of kin to arrange the collection of the Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death and any property held by the Trust. The staff will also supply information and contact details for the Registrar of Births and Deaths and HM Coroner as necessary to the case.