Procedure in the event of death

In the event of the death of a potential donor, the next of kin/executor should telephone the Body Donation Programme Manager on +44 (0)116 252 3082 as soon as possible after the death occurs. They will sensitively guide you through the next steps, however the following information may also help.

Leicester Medical School will speak to the doctor issuing the Death Certificate and/or the GP, to ascertain suitability of the body for anatomical examination. The next of kin/executor will be informed within a short time whether the body donation will be accepted or not accepted.

If a donation is accepted

To preserve the body well, Leicester Medical School needs to receive the body ideally within six days of death. The deceased will be cared for at a hospital mortuary or funeral home whilst the death is registered and documentation prepared.

It is important that the death is registered with the local Registrar of Deaths as a matter of urgency. The Registrar will issue the informant with a green certificate (Certificate for Burial or Cremation) and copies of the Death Certificate. We cannot accept a body without these documents. 

If the body is being held in a hospital mortuary, the next of kin/executor should return the Certificate for Burial or Cremation to the hospital - the mortuary will not release the body without it.

If the donation is accepted, you will then be able to choose how to proceed with funeral and memorial arrangements.

If a donation is not accepted

The next of kin/executor should proceed with their own funeral arrangements in accordance with the wishes of the deceased and their family members.