Guidance for staff responsible for care after death (last offices)
Developed by the National End of Life Care Programme and National Nurse Consultant Group (Palliative Care), this guidance
- sets out key principles
- is intended as a guide for training, as well as for informing the development of organisational protocols for this area of care
- aims to provide a consistent view that accommodates England’s diverse religious and multi-cultural beliefs.
Download Guidance for staff responsible for care after death
Care Pathway Step 6
Care after death
Good end of life care doesn’t stop at the point of death. When someone dies all staff need to follow good practice which includes being responsive to family wishes. The support and care provided to relatives will help them cope with their loss.
Care after death includes
- honouring the spiritual or cultural wishes of the deceased person and their family/carers while ensuring legal obligations are met
- preparing the body for transfer to the mortuary or the funeral director’s premises
- offering family and carers present the opportunity to participate in the process and supporting them to do so
- ensuring that the privacy and dignity of the deceased person is maintained
- ensuring that the health and safety of everyone who comes into contact with the body is protected
- honouring people’s wishes for organ and tissue donation
- returning the deceased person’s personal possessions to their relatives.
National bereavement survey (VOICES)
Read more about the national bereavement survey which was launched in October 2011
Support for people providing bereavement support services
Organisations offering support for staff and volunteers working with bereaved people
Resources to help carers, family and friends cope with bereavement
Case studies
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16th March 2012
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15th March 2012
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22nd February 2012
Meeting people’s spiritual and pastoral needs at the end of life
Publications
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20th March 2012
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20th March 2012
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20th March 2012
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