UCLH has two mortuaries, one at University College Hospital (UCH) and one at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN). The Mortuary at NHNN is covered by staff from the UCH Mortuary.
If a death occurs on at one of our hospitals that does not have storage facilities, the deceased patient will be transferred into the care of UCH Mortuary. Both UCH and NHNN mortuaries are licensed under The Human Tissue Authority (HTA).
Service management
UCLH Mortuary service manager
Other contact information
- UCLH Mortuary - 0203 447 3568
- NHNN Mortuary - 0203 448 3918
- Medical Examiner office - uclh.medicalexaminer@nhs.net
- Bereavement Services WMS - 0203 456 3036
- Bereavement Midwife - 07539215484
- St, Pancras Coroner - 0207 974 4545
- Westminister Coroner - 0207 641 1212
- Camden Registry Office - 0207 974 4444
Address
Mortuary services
University College Hospital
Lower Ground Floor (P-1) Podium
235 Euston Road
London, NW1 2BU
University College Hospital mortuary is used as the main hub of services and has sseveral facilities such as:
- Refrigerated storage for patients
- A relative’s viewing room
- A relative waiting/ sitting area
- Two postmortem suites (for both coroner’s and hospital requested postmortems)
- An observational gallery (for the use of medical students to observe postmortems)
Opening hours for UCLH mortuary:
09:00- 13:00 and then again 14:00- 16:00 Monday- Friday.
Appointments for patient collections by funeral directors are not needed during these hours.
Appointments can be made for patient collections outside of working hours by contacting the on-call mortuary technician via UCLH switchboard.
The facilities at the NHNN mortuary are:
- Refrigerated storage for patients
- A relative’s viewing room
- A relative’s waiting/ sitting area
- There are no post mortem facilities at the NHNN
Opening Hours for NHNN Mortuary:
NHNN mortuary works on an appointment only basis. University College Hospital mortuary must always be contacted to make an appointment for patient collections/ viewings by contacting the on-call mortuary technician via UCLH switchboard.
When an adult patient dies, a cause of death must be confirmed by a member of the medical team and and agreed with the Medical Examiner, a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) will be electronically sent to Camden Registry Office. The next of kin will need to contact Camden Registry Office to book an appointment to collect the Death Certificate. A green certificate will be issued to the family and then given to a funeral director, which allows a funeral to take place.
When a baby dies, the gestation of the baby will determine whether the death will need to be registered at Camden Registry Office.
- Under 24 weeks: registration is not required
- Over 24 weeks/or in the event the baby had taken a breath- registration is required.
The bereavement midwife will discuss this with the parents.
If a cause of death cannot be given, then the death must legally be referred to the HM Coroners. There are also certain criteria in which a death must be legally referred to HM coroners. The next of kin should be informed in the event of a coroner’s referral.
The St. Pancras coroner will be responsible for deaths at UCLH and the NHNN.
Westminster Coroner will be responsible for deaths at WMS.
A coroner can instruct:
- An inquest without a postmortem.
- A postmortem (this may delay the funeral)
Coroners’ postmortems are used to determine the cause of death, The next of kin are not required to give consent for a coroners’ postmortem to take place, however the coroner should keep the family informed.
If a medical cause of death can be given, the clinician/relatives can request a hospital postmortem. This can be used to train and gain more of an understanding of the disease process and provide more information on the cause of death.
Hospital postmortems require written consent from the patient’s next of kin. A member of the medical team (who has had consent training) must discuss and record the requirements of the hospital postmortem on an HTA consent form.
If a hospital postmortem is being considered, please discuss this with the mortuary staff first, before a request is made to the relatives.
Appointments may be made at both University College Hospital and the NHNN to view a patient in the mortuary. During working hours, please contact the bereavement office.
Outside of working hours, the ward (where the person passed away) can be contacted for appointments and arrangements are made with a senior nurse (site cover).
If the death is under the coroner’s jurisdiction, a member of staff must be present and unfortunately permission to touch your loved one will not be granted.
When a funeral has been arranged, the undertakers contact the mortuary to arragne the collection of the patient into their care. The patient will only be released when all the relevant paperwork has been completed and provided.
If the patient was under the jurisdiction of HM Coroners, the funeral can only take place when the coroner has authorised the release.
Location
HTA (Human Tissue Authority)
Organ donation
UK organ donor referral line 03000 20 30 40
Body donation
London Anatomy Office 0207 848 8042