I think the time taken for deaths to be registered and bodies of loved ones to be released for funerals is totally unacceptable

Funeral directors at T&G Direct Funeral Services on Hylton Road in Sunderland and Jayne Prior Funeral Directors, who have branches in Sunderland and Hebburn, say the “long delays” have arisen since the introduction of the death certification reform legislation which came into effect on September 9 (2024).

The new legislation means the confirmation and cause of a death now needs to be scrutinised and confirmed by a medical examiner, except where the coroner is involved.

Previously (before September 9) death certificates could be issued by a family’s or hospital’s GP - depending on where the deceased died - which incurred a fee for the family to pay for the signing of relevant paperwork.

The new additional layer of scrutiny has been introduced as one of the outcomes of the Shipman Inquiry which was set up to investigate the circumstances surrounding the murders of over 200 patients by their GP, Dr. Harold Shipman.

South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust “host” Sunderland and South Tyneside medical examiners and agree the current times being taken are “not acceptable” and have apologised to families.

Whilst the funeral directors who I spoke with were unanimous in support of the “underlying principle”, they also said the “additional layer is causing long delays in deaths being certified, bodies being released and enabling us to arrange funerals”.

Jayne Prior funeral director Gary Hetherington, 62, said: “On average it used to take around five days for the death to be certified and the body to be released and this is now taking between two and three weeks.

“We can’t arrange the funeral until the death has been officially registered and this is leading to long delays for the families in us being able to arrange services.”

Nigel Marston, who is a managing partner at the Sunderland and Hebburn branches, added: “One family had to wait six weeks for the death to be registered and the body to be released. The length of these delays are totally unacceptable for the families.

“To arrange the funeral we need to book the venue, arrange flowers and cars, and until we have that death registration we can’t do it.”

It’s a sentiment shared by the company director of T&G Direct Funeral Services, Trevor Shingler.

Trevor said: “You’re not allowed to book a funeral until the death is registered. This is now taking over two weeks which would mean you would be looking at four to five weeks before being able to have a funeral.

“Most funeral directors I know are arranging the funerals for around three weeks after the person has deceased and are hoping the registration is done in time and the body is released, otherwise you would be looking at another two weeks after that before the family can have the funeral.

“Under the previous system the death was registered and you used to be able to have the funeral arranged and done within two weeks.”

Whilst all the funeral directors accepted it was “a national issue”, they did identify a disparity in the times being taken.

Gary said: “Some parts of the country are taking similar times for deaths to be registered and bodies to be released, but speaking to colleagues in some other North East trust areas, the process seems to be much quicker.

“There has not been a spike in deaths. In fact the most recent death figures for January were less than the same time last year.

“People don’t go to work not to do their job, and I’m sure it’s not a skills issue, which seems to imply it’s a resource issue.”

Nigel added: “We are a member of the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF). This is a national issue which I know SAIF have raised at a national level.”

Whilst the delays are having an impact on local funeral directors, who are operating at or having to increase their refrigeration capacity, it’s the emotional impact the situation is having on families which is of greatest concern to Nigel, Trevor and Gary.

Nigel said: “Refrigeration doesn’t completely stop the natural process, and in some cases I have had to advise family members wanting to visit their loved ones that they might want to reconsider due to the time elapsed since their passing.

“I lost my parents a few years ago and if I had to wait as long for their funerals as some people are currently waiting then it would have extended that grieving process as you don’t get that closure.”

Gary said: “Under this new system the families feel like they have a lack of control, as until they get that registration they are in limbo and can’t start making arrangements.

“I’ve met a number of family members who’ve appeared really strong at the outset but naturally become much more emotional as the process is prolonged.

“Under the old system, the families would be contacted by the bereavement services who were there to offer support within a couple of days.

“Under this new system, families sometimes aren’t getting that initial point of contact for about two weeks.”

Trevor added: “This is an incredibly hard and stressful time for families anyway. I find that having to wait so long for a funeral prolongs that grief and they have to go through it all again on the day of the service.”

Dr Shaz Wahid, Executive Medical Director at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, said: “On behalf of the Medical Examiner Office for our Trust area, we are very sorry for the delays which we know local families are facing.

“This is not acceptable and adding further upset and distress at an already difficult time. The delays follow some changes in the law which came into effect last September.

“These added to the Medical Examiner workload and unforeseen absence in the Medical Examiner workforce also contributed.

"The Trust, along with the Regional Medical Examiner, has supported a review of systems and processes in the office that has improved matters and the planned recruitment of more Medical Examiners will also help to speed up matters.

“As a Trust we are also supporting the Medical Examiner Office by providing family liaison staff to help keep families informed about their loved ones."

The Trust also said that significant improvements have already been made to the service.

Nigel responded: “Two things need to happen. Firstly there needs to be more regular communication and updates for families and secondly the process needs to be speeded up so there is a minimal delay between the person passing away and funeral directors being able to arrange funerals.”