In this section
Post mortem examinations
Post mortem examinations are carried out for the Manchester City Area Coroner.
Hospital consented post mortem examinations may also be carried out. For a hospital consent post mortem to take place, the mortuary must have the patient hospital notes and written consent. The consent form must be fully completed; that the cooling off/change your mind period has been agreed with the consent-giver and documented and that the form has been signed.
Viewing facilities
Viewings are carried out in accordance with hospital policy and are managed by mortuary staff. The family viewing suite operates on an appointment basis; relatives can ring the mortuary directly to book an available time.
Viewings can be facilitated out of hours via the on-call mortuary staff, these appointments are not guaranteed. The on-call staff member does not have access to the diary to make future appointments. Families who wish to do this to contact the mortuary the next working day.
Post mortem reports
The time taken to issue a report following a post mortem examination varies, depending on the complexity of the case and tests carried out. In coronial cases an initial cause of death, if established, will be given to the Coroner on the day of the post mortem examination. Please note that any clinician/relative wanting a copy of this report must obtain it via the Coroner’s office.
(Last reviewed March 2023)