- Kettering General and Northampton General Hospitals both stopped offering viewing facilities for deceased relatives in both hospital mortuaries in 2020 because of the pandemic
- Last year Northampton General reinstated viewing but Kettering General cannot for space reasons
- Both hospitals acknowledge that this does not deliver good support for bereaved families who may want to view a loved one shortly after death
- On 19 December, 2024, the council planning department approved a scheme to build a new state of the art mortuary in Northampton which has the capacity to meet the needs of the hospital as well as those of the Coroner and mass fatalities.
- The new mortuary not only has significantly better facilities , but also will have an option for CT post mortem which has not been available within the County before (subject to Coroner decision on a case by case basis).
- In March 2025 the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire – after examining several potential ways of addressing the impact this would have on experience for the bereaved as well as our staffing– considered that the best way to deliver proper viewing facilities would be to consolidate both hospital mortuaries at the £9.4m state-of-the-art County Mortuary being developed at Riverside in Northampton
- This followed the advice from UHN’s senior clinical leadership team who were clear this would be an improvement and help reduce the current levels of distress felt by many families who have to wait – currently sometimes for many weeks- to view their loved one.
- The County Mortuary will provide enhanced facilities including private viewing and identification facilities. It is purpose-built and organised to enable an appropriate, respectful, and compassionate experience for bereaved families.
- In addition both hospital mortuaries have been at or beyond capacity for some time
- This was highlighted during the pandemic when a temporary facility had to be developed at The Leys near Wollaston to cope with rising demand
Does this mean I won’t be able to view a deceased relative who has just died in hospital?
- Our staff act with compassion and understanding with the patient in their final hours which includes communicating with their family as the time approaches, and as far as possible keeping their loved one in the ward or department shortly after death to allow them to say goodbye.
- This will continue under the new arrangement, after which their loved one will be taken to a small hospital mortuary
- The next working day officers from the County Mortuary will attend the hospital and collect the deceased person. This will be done with dignity and respect and involve the use of a dedicated private ambulance and be subject to stringent conditions and monitoring.
- Once at the County Mortuary families will be able to view loved ones by arrangement if they haven’t been able to do so on the ward before transfer.
- The County Mortuary will have staff trained in helping families dealing with their bereavement in a supportive way.
Do I need to visit the new County Mortuary or can I wait to view the deceased via my funeral director?
- You can wait for that to happen and this will be a matter for you. You will have the option to visit the County Mortuary once it opens and is up and running. At the moment the only viewing option is at Northampton General Hospital with none at Kettering General Hospital.
What happens if the deceased person is required to have a Coroner’s investigation which may include a postmortem?
- When a Coroner’s investigation is required this takes time and currently there may be a significant delay for families to be able to view a deceased relative if a post mortem is required. required. This can take several weeks in the current ways of working.
- The introduction of CT postmortems should reduce some of these delays
- In the future the Council are exploring plans to extend the services to paediatrics which will keep them close to their family instead of transferring them out of county.
- Since 2020 there has been no viewing facilities available for families in these circumstances at hospitals
- This will change when the new County Mortuary opens in autumn 2025
- The initial driver behind the new County Mortuary was to provide a facility where families awaiting a Coroner’s investigation/postmortem could view their deceased loved ones in a peaceful and appropriate environment supported by trained staff
- In addition now – given the space constraints in hospitals – the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire has announced it intends to consolidate mortuary facilities in the new facility currently being built.
What advantages will the new County Mortuary offer compared to the current arrangements?
- The County Mortuary will provide enhanced facilities including private viewing and identification facilities. It is purpose-built and organised to enable an appropriate, respectful, and compassionate experience for bereaved families
- Waiting times will be short and viewing will be available in a dedicated bereavement suite with a winter garden.
- The County Mortuary will have free car parking, is on public transport routes, and will be a modern welcoming environment
- It will mean families don’t have to return to the hospital where they may have difficult memories of their relative at end of life.
- Visitors to the County Mortuary will be met by staff skilled and experienced in supporting the bereaved
- The new arrangement will mean It will be the same pathway for all of those deceased in hospital or requiring coronial investigation/postmortem – so families will know where their loved one is and that it is a secure and appropriate location.
- Expected deaths in the community with no circumstances requiring investigation the deceased will be released to family appointed funeral directors in the same way as at present and will not be admitted to the hospital mortuaries or the Council Public Mortuary
Wider range of postmortems
- One of the aims of the new facility is to provide a wider range of postmortems than is currently feasible in the hospital mortuaries.
- This means there will be less movement of the deceased out of county.
- The new services will also include CT as well as traditional postmortem. The Council is also working with Northamptonshire Police to introduce all types of postmortem examinations.
- CT postmortems (using x-rays) are non-invasive which can be less distressing for the bereaved and help respect religious beliefs whilst delivering the required outcome.
- A decision for postmortem is made by the Coroner to establish a cause of death, if the death is unknown, unnatural, sudden or a death in custody.
- A family may consent to a Hospital postmortem for teaching and research i.e. the cause is known but to explore genetics implications.
Who will inform the friends and relatives where the deceased will be after death in hospital?
- In hospital the hospital staff involved will inform families of what will happen next. When the new County Mortuary opens they will explain that the deceased will be located there until your family appointed Funeral Director can go through to collect your loved one, in preparation for funeral arrangements
Why hasn’t there been a public consultation on this change?
- This was considered but the change does not meet the legal requirements for a formal consultation exercise.
- However UHN has plans for engagement with staff and stakeholders affected by the change and engagement has commenced.
- It should be noted that the new public mortuary has already been highlighted in a number of media reports following media releases and media statements over the past 18 months.
- The County Mortuary development has followed the statutory planning process of West Northamptonshire Council which is all in the public domain.
- Further communications are now underway as part of our existing communications plan which will include engagement with Funeral Directors and Carers to ensure we take on board any concerns they may have about the change.
- Throughout this process UHN is committed to listen carefully to all views and will look to put arrangements in place to mitigate against any not previously thought of.
When will this change take place?
- Building work on the County Mortuary is due to complete in Autumn 2025 with the facility to open as soon as possible afterwards
How will residents to be supported to travel such a long distance to visit their loved ones?
- The new facility is based at Riverside retail park which has good transport links including a bus route to the mortuary.
- There will be plentiful free parking on site for those able to come by private transport.
- We are keen to work with the local community groups to explore any opportunities for voluntary transport and drivers for direct family members unable to use these transportation methods but who still would like to visit, before the deceased is transferred back to the family appointed funeral director where viewing is also still available.
Will people have to travel to obtain the necessary paperwork needed to register a death or collect belongings?
- Since September 2024, the responsibility of Medical Examiners became statutory relating to the medical cause of death certification.
- Scrutiny of medical records now takes place before a certificate of cause of death is issued are sent electronically by the Medical Examiner to the Registration service in each County.
- The bereaved are able to make an online appointment on the Council website to formally register the death at the offices in the County where the death occurred without needing to attend the hospital.
- Offices are located in all the major towns (note this includes Kettering, Corby, Wellingborough, Daventry, Northampton, Towcester).
Wherever possible patient property is handed to the family by ward staff and this will continue in the same way. Where family is not available at the time, it will transfer to the County Mortuary where the trained staff will work with Funeral Directors or the family to return the belongings as soon as possible.