Care After Death: Registered Nurse Verification of Expected Adult Death guidance

It is anticipated that local areas will develop their policies based on the guidance, but sensitised to the local area, enabling staff to care appropriately for the deceased, supporting and minimising distress for families and carers at any time of the day, night, or week. This guidance has been developed in line with the person and family centred care recommended in national documents.

This guidance ensures that the death is dealt with:

• in line with the law and coroner requirements 
• in a timely, sensitive, and caring manner
• respecting the dignity, religious and cultural needs of the patient and family members as far as is practicable
• ensuring the health and safety of others, e.g. from infectious illness including COVID-19, radioactive implants, and implantable devices

A competency assessment tool accompanies this guidance for RNs to demonstrate their practical skills, knowledge and understanding for verifying an expected adult death. RNs already competent in verification of an expected adult death are not expected to repeat the competency assessment, rather to familiarise themselves with the changes within this guidance and adopt the changes into their practice.

This guidance may be used to inform training for other registered healthcare professionals who are regulated by a professional body who, under statutory regulation, are recognised by the Professional Standards Authority.

Guidance in this document includes:

A checklist of procedural actions to undertake, with rationales, following a person’s death.

• Medical and Nursing responsibilities 
• Procedure guide
• Assessment of competence

• Hospice UK
• National Nurse Consultant Group (Palliative Care)
• National Association for Hospice at Home
• Royal College of Nursing
• Royal College of General Practitioners

Updated in April 2024 by Hospice UK and National Nurse Consultant Group (Palliative Care).

Published by Hospice UK in April 2022.