Who do the family need to contact when a loved one passes away?

When someone dies, the death has to be certified by a doctor: either a GP or a hospital doctor. When this happens at home, the family will need to contact the GP regarding the death. If the death occurs in a nursing home or a hospital, the staff may well do this for the family.

The family will also have to decide upon funeral directors and contact them about the death.

What happens if the death is unexpected?

It may be necessary for the police to attend and the death may be referred to the coroner. The death may also be referred to the coroner if the deceased has not recently been seen by a doctor if the cause of death is unknown, if death was caused by an industrial disease, such as asbestos related diseases, or if the patient was undergoing an operation or did not recover from an anaesthetic.

If the case is referred to a coronor it may delay or prevent us from procuring tissue.

What happens if the deceased is to be cremated?

Two GPs are needed to complete the statutory paperwork. The GP who attends the deceased to certify the death needs to complete the first part of the paperwork, and another doctor completes the second part.

When should I contact the Tissue Bank?

You don’t need to wait for the doctor to certify the death before contacting the Tissue Bank. We can start making arrangements for the donation before the doctor has completed the formal paperwork. However, we won’t be able to finalise the arrangements for transporting the body to the hospital for the tissue donation until the death has been certified by a doctor.

Can we contact the Tissue Bank before the person’s death?

In some cases, if the death is expected, the Tissue Bank can start to make arrangements before the donor passes away, as long as the family are happy for us to do so.

Who can contact the Tissue Bank when a donor passes away?

What information will the Tissue Bank team request?

When a member of the Tissue Bank team responds to the bleep, they will require certain information before they can make arrangements for the donation. They will need to know the full name of the donor (and donor number, if known) and confirm that the deceased has been registered with the Tissue Bank. We will also confirm that the family agree to go ahead with the donation and record the location of the donor.

Is there any other information the Tissue Bank may ask for?

If the family has decided on a funeral director, contact information can be helpful. The Tissue Bank team may also ask you for details about the time and cause of death.

What happens to the body before the donation?

If possible, the body should be refrigerated by the funeral directors or hospital as soon as possible after death. This will help keep the body in the best condition possible for the donation while the arrangements are being made.

How quickly does everything happen regarding the donation?

As the Tissue Bank aims to retrieve tissue within 24 hours after death, all the arrangements are made as quickly as possible. It is important that you tell the certifying GP about the wish of the deceased to donate tissue – this will ensure there are no unnecessary delays. After the tissue has been retrieved, the body is quickly returned to the funeral directors so that funeral arrangements can take place.

What if someone had not got around to registering with the Tissue Bank?

If someone passes away who had not yet registered with the Tissue Bank, it is still possible for a donation to take place if the family believes it was the person’s wish to donate their tissue. The family would need to contact the Tissue Bank as soon as possible after the person’s death.

On behalf of the Tissue Bank and the Parkinson’s Disease Society, we would again like to thank all of those that are registered with us, and particularly the families of those who have donated tissue, for your contribution to support Parkinson’s research.