In practice, this right is hardly ever used. If there are suspicious circumstances or if a potentially unnatural death takes place in custody, the Coroner will order a forensic post mortem. This is a more detailed examination performed by a specially trained Pathologist. They take place at Royal Oldham Hospital. Occasionally, the Coroner may ask a Pathologist who specialises in a particular organ, such as the brain or heart, to carry out the post mortem.
We may transfer the body to another local hospital for this. If the Coroner has ordered a specialist post mortem on your relative, we will let you know and explain why. What happens when the results come back? When the post mortem is completed, the Pathologist will report the causes of death that they found to the Coroner. The Coroner will review the information and do one of two things:. How long will it take?
When a post mortem is needed, we will call to inform you. Our next step is to order a summary of the deceased's medical history from their GP. This helps the pathologist interpret their findings, and we cannot order a post mortem without it.
We rely on the GP surgery providing this promptly, and know that some surgeries close on a Wednesday afternoon. It takes working days from the point we receive the GP summary, to be able to call you with the results of the post mortem.
If the post mortem shows a natural cause of death, we can release the body at the same time we tell you the results. If it shows an unnatural cause, or if we are waiting for lab results to clarify the cause, we need to have the body formally identified before we release it and this usually takes an extra day.
Read more about body and organ donation in Ireland. In May , the Department of Health commissioned a report into post-mortem practice and procedures. The Madden Report looked at post-mortem practice in Ireland including organ retention in relation to children who were born alive but died aged under 12 between and If you have a question about this topic you can contact the Citizens Information Phone Service on 07 Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm.
You can also contact your local Citizens Information Centre or Request a call back from an information officer. Information What is a post-mortem? When is a post-mortem necessary? What happens in a post-mortem? The body is treated with utmost respect and is not disfigured in any way. As next of kin, will I be asked for my permission? If a coroner has ordered the post-mortem, they do not need to ask permission from the family or next of kin, because they have a legal duty to investigate certain types of death.
If a doctor wishes to do a post-mortem, they will normally ask your permission. They will discuss the procedure with you and ask for your consent to remove particular organs. They will also ask how you would prefer them to dispose of the organs afterwards. The next of kin will always be advised if any tissue samples or organs are retained for further tests. It may be necessary to x-ray or photograph the body or an organ during the post-mortem examination.
These images form part of the record of investigation of the death. They are usually retained indefinitely. Their use is strictly controlled and always confidential. The pathologist will provide the preliminary results of the post-mortem examination to the Coroner very quickly.
However, a final written report may not be available for some time as further tests may need to be carried out and these can take time to complete. They will also be able to say if any organs or tissue have been retained following the post-mortem examination. The family will be informed when this happens and they may also request a copy of the final report from the Coroner. The report may contain complex medical terminology, and the family may wish to discuss the findings with their family doctor.
Family members may feel that they would like to discuss the post-mortem examination with the pathologist who carried it out. The pathologist, with the authority of the Coroner, may need to retain any organs and tissue samples removed at the post-mortem examination to assist in the investigation into the death.
The Royal College of Pathologists recommends that tissue blocks and slides form part of the medical pathology records and that they should be retained in case they need to be reviewed at a later time. If they are retained, access to them will be strictly controlled and they will not be used for any purpose without permission of the next of kin. This means it may not be possible to have the case more fully reviewed or to seek a second opinion at a later date.
The body will be prepared by the mortuary staff and then released to an undertaker who can make arrangements for family and relatives to view the body. Normally any incisions cuts that have been made during the post-mortem examination will not be visible. The funeral director will be able to tell you if there are any visible signs of the examination before you view the body. The body is normally released immediately after the post-mortem examination.
Very rarely, usually in criminal cases, it may be necessary for the pathologist to retain the body for further re-examination. If this is the case, the family will be given information about this and every effort will be made to release the body as quickly as possible.
If the death was due to natural causes which a doctor is able to confirm, the Coroner will advise the Registrar by issuing a Coroner's notification and the death can be registered and a death certificate issued. However, if a post-mortem examination is ordered, or, if an inquest is to be held, then the death cannot be registered until the Coroner's investigation has been completed.
In these circumstances funeral arrangements should not be finalised until the Coroner has authorised the release of the body for burial or cremation. A funeral may take place once the Coroner is satisfied that the body is no longer required for the investigation. Even if the Coroner is going to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death, the funeral can still take place as soon as the Coroner has released the body.
An inquest is an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding a death. The purpose of the inquest is to find out who the deceased person was and how, when and where they died and to provide the details needed for their death to be registered.
It is not a trial. It is not for the Coroner to decide, or appear to decide any question of criminal or civil liability or to apportion guilt or attribute blame.
Inquests are open to the public and the media. Coroners decide who should take part to give evidence as witnesses at an inquest. This can include:. We will not reply to your feedback.
0コメント