Harrogate & District Staff QR Code - Practical Procedures

NHS Harrogate District NHS Foundation Trust

Guidance for HDFT Staff on Care after Death Practical Procedures Personal cares after death................................................................................................... Page 1 Standard operating procedure for Care after Death...................... Page 2

Care after death: practical procedures What to do after a patient has died, out of the ward area in hospital The site co-ordinator and mortuary can be contacted for advice. It may be more appropriate and dignified for the deceased person to be transferred directly to the mortuary viewing room to perform personal cares.

Personal cares after death The most up-to-date flow chart to guide practice is available in the blue ‘Care after Death’ box on every adult ward or on the intranet either on PolicyStat or: https://nhs.sharepoint.com/sites/RCD_PalliativeandEndofLifeCare No treatments should be stopped until the person has been verified by a doctor or competently trained registered nurse / advanced clinical practitioner.

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PROCEDURE FOR COMPLETING PERSONAL CARE AFTER DEATH IN HOSPITAL SETTING It is best practice to do this with two people, one of whom needs to be a registered nurse or a suitably trained person. If the patient has been referred to the Coroner, please leave all devices insitu e.g. catheters, drains, cannulas, syringe driver, NG tube, etc.

PPE REQUIREMENTS: FOLLOW HDFT INFECTION PREVENTION POLICY and REFER to HDFT PROCEDURE 029 FOR HANDLING BODIES AFTER DEATH

Lay the deceased person on their back Straighten their limbs with their arms lying by their sides Remove pillows Close the eyes by applying light pressure for 30 seconds *If fails, explain to family/carers a funeral director will resolve the issue* *If donating cornea or eyes, close eyes with gauze soaked in normal saline*

Clean mouth to remove debris and secretions Suction excess fluid from oral cavity or tracheostomy site Clean and replace dentures as soon as possible after death *If cannot replace send to mortuary with the body in labelled receptacle*

Support the jaw by placing pillow or rolled up towel underneath *remove it before family/carers view* *Do not bind with bandages*

Tidy hair

*In preferred style if known to guide funeral director* *Do not shave – the funeral director will undertake this if required*

Remove syringe driver and Saf-T-Intima (if applicable) Remove urinary catheter (if applicable) Cover stoma with clean bag (if applicable) Remove drains (if applicable) and cover leaking wounds /drain sites with clean, absorbent and occlusive dressing(s) *Leave any stitches / clips intact*

Disconnect IV line and remove cannula (if applicable) Disconnect feed and remove NG tube (if applicable)

2 SOP Personal Care after Death in Hospital

HDFT Palliative Care Team January 2026 review November 2027

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Wash and dress the deceased person unless requested not to do for religious, cultural reasons or family preferences.

Consider whether family wish to be involved in personal care of deceased

Wash and the deceased not to do Dressdress in hospital gown /shroud, ownperson nightwear unless or clothes ifrequested chosen by family. *NO person should be left for religious, cultural reasons or naked* family preferences. *note: The funeral director dress them in theirinown clothes if nightwear/gown* Consider whether familywill wish to be involved personal care of deceased Dress in hospital gown /shroud, own nightwear or clothes if chosen by family. *NO person should besend left naked* Remove jewellery – return to family, to General Office / put in *note: The funeral director will dress them in their own clothes if nightwear/gown*

Safe

*If family request for jewellery to be left on – secure with tape and document clearly* Remove jewellery – toreturn to present family, sendguidance to General / put Return these immediately any family or follow on SOPOffice Care after Deathin

Safe *If family request for jewellery to be leftattachment on – secure with of tape2and clearly* one The deceased person requires ID document name bands: Return these immediately to any family present or follow guidance on SOP Care after Death on wrist and one on ankle

The deceased person requires attachment of 2 ID name bands: one Complete Mortuary Transfer Checklist onafter wrist and on ankle *ALL wards must follow SOP Care Death Careone of Property & Valuables (Blue Box or PolicyStat)* Complete Mortuary Transfer Checklist Request porter

*ALL wards must follow SOP Care after Death Care of Property & Valuables (Blue Box or PolicyStat)* Note: if families are requesting to accompany the deceased to the mortuary refer to Policystat Guidance: Allowing Relatives to Accompany a Deceased Patient to the Mortuary via Chapel

Request porter

Note: if families Complete are requesting identification to accompany the deceased the mortuary refer to Policystat checktowith porter Guidance: Allowing Relatives to Accompany a Deceased Patient to the Mortuary via Chapel

*discuss any jewellery left on body*

Complete identification check with porter Wrap body sheet,left tape lightly *discuss anyin jewellery on body*

Sealed body bags should ALWAYS be used when there is actual or potential leakage of body fluids irrespective of the patient's infectious status Patients known or suspected to bebody infectedin with a notifiable infection (refer to HDFT Procedure 029 Wrap sheet, tape lightly for Handling Bodies After Death for details) be labelled 'High leakage Risk' or of 'Danger of Sealed body bags should ALWAYS be specific used when theremust is actual or potential body fluids Infection' and placed in a sealed body bag before transporting to the mortuary. The Senior Nurse or irrespective of the patient's infectious status Site Coordinator be consulted and the Prevention Control Policy / Procedure Patients known or should suspected to be infected withInfection a notifiable infectionand (refer to HDFT Procedure 029 adhered to.must be labelled 'High Risk' or 'Danger of for Handling Bodies After Death for specific details) Infection' and placed in a sealed body bag before transporting to the mortuary. The Senior Nurse or Site Coordinator should be consulted and the Infection Prevention and Control Policy / Procedure Assist Porter to transfer the patient onto the trolley adhered to.

PLEASE NOTE:

Assist Porter to transfer the patient onto the trolley

ü Do not tie the penis

ü TheNOTE: body may turn purple or pink as blood pools PLEASE ü ü ü ü ü ü ü ü

The body will cool after death Thenot body stiff (rigor mortis) between two to six hours after death Do tie will the go penis You body may see twitches or spasms death The maymuscle turn purple or pink as bloodafter pools sphincter relaxes The body will cool aftercausing death incontinence of urine and faeces, you may also hear gas released You body may hear moaning or groaning noises as relaxafter (including The will go stiff (rigor mortis) between twomuscles to six hours death vocal cords) and gas builds up You may see muscle twitches or spasms after death The sphincter relaxes causing incontinence of urine and faeces, you may also hear gas released You may hear moaning or groaning noises as muscles relax (including vocal cords) and gas builds up

This guidance is based on guidance within 'Royal Marsden Manual of Clinical and Cancer Nursing Procedures 10th edition' available on the HDFT intranet: Knowledge and Library Service This guidance is based on guidance within 'Royal Marsden Manual of Clinical and Cancer Nursing Procedures 10th edition' available on the HDFT intranet: Knowledge and Library Service SOP Personal Care after Death in Hospital

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HDFT Palliative Care Team January 2026 review November 2027

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