Death Notification

Policy

All patient deaths are treated with respect, sensitivity, and dignity.

Notification of a patient's death must come from a reliable source, e.g. the police, the deceased's family, a coroner, hospital, or hospice.

Requests for records of a deceased patient must come from the executor or administrator of the estate.

See also Disclosing Patient Information.

Notification of a patient's death

After we are informed of a patient's death, advise the patient's clinician and other relevant staff as soon as possible.

It may be a good idea to add an alert to the PMS to help prevent inappropriate responses to next of kin.

Certifying a death

For more information, refer to HealthPathways: Certification of Death.

After a death, a clinician may be required to either:

• complete a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD)
• report the death to the coroner, if it appears to be unnatural, suspicious, or medically unexpected.

The MCCD can be completed online via Death Documents or by filling out a paper form.

Any medical practitioner or nurse practitioner who completes an MCCD must also notify the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, within 3 working days of the MCCD being supplied, using a Preliminary Notice of Death (PNOD) form.

Death notification documents

Death notification checklist