Irish Hospice Foundation
Toolkit for Compassionate End-of-Life Care
39
Provide contact numbers and information on: - Mortuary opening hours (if applicable).
- Post-mortem examination procedure (if applicable). - How to collect the Death Notification Form.
- Bereavement support services. - Remembrance services, etc. - Chaplaincy services.
Useful Resource: Intercultural Guide Responding to the needs of diverse religious communities and cultures in healthcare settings
Post-mortem examinations For information about the processes and practices associated with post-mortem examinations in your local area, please contact your local Coroner’s office. Contact details are on www.coroner.ie. A post-mortem examination, also called an autopsy, is a medical examination of a person that takes place after death. e purpose of the post-mortem is to determine the exact cause of death.
ere are two types of post-mortem (PM) examinations: • A Coroner’s PM • A consented hospital PM
A Coroner’s PM e core function of the Coroner is to investigate sudden and unexplained deaths so that a death certificate can be issued. e general rule is that all sudden, unnatural, violent or unexplained deaths must be reported to the Coroner. For the full rules regarding reporting deaths to the Coroner, please see www.coroner.ie. Reporting a death to the Coroner does not necessarily mean that a PM examination will be performed. It is important to refer to your local Coroner for information about the processes and practices in your local area. • A Coroner’s PM is performed at the request of the Coroner by a pathologist who acts on behalf of the Coroner. • Consent by the family is NOT required as this is a compulsory examination under the law. • Formal identification of the deceased person must be carried out by a member of the family in the presence of a member of An Garda Síochána. • All medical equipment must be left on the deceased person’s body unless permission to remove it has been granted by the Coroner.
Death 5
Care after
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker