Body sent to wrong funeral home by care services.

cr1mson

If you do end up having to pay it is always worth trying to haggle. We got billed what I felt was an excessive amount to collect MIL from hospital mortuary so queried it and it was halved.

acR

Grumpy_chap said:

user1977 said:

I thought the normal advice for an expected death at home was to call the GP first? No point in extra work for the ambulances/hospital. But no urgency to get the funeral director involved.

From Age UK website:

If someone dies at home and their death was expected

Call their GP practice and nearest relative (if that's not you). In most instances, the doctor will then issue a medical certificate that states the cause of death to allow the death to be registered. You’ll also be given a formal notice stating that the medical certificate has been signed. This notice tells you how to register the death. Then, when you feel ready to do so, you can contact a funeral director of your choice who will move the body.

Thanks.

Presumably, the GP does not just issue the death certificate over the phone but actually attends the premises to evidence that the individual is, indeed, deceased.

I am not sure what level of out-of-hours cover the GP will offer these days - it probably varies.

BUT, the OP has reported that the individual passed during the night and the Carer simply called a Funeral Director out-of-hours - did not, apparently, call any Medical person (whether GP or Ambulance) and did not call family.

The family were not contacted until the following day. We are trying to find out exactly what happened but think an ambulance was called and they could do nothing.  

acR

eskbanker said:

acR said:

eskbanker said:

I suspect that much will depend on the terms of the carer's contract, i.e. if it addresses how this situation ought to be dealt with, and the extent to which next of kin need to be contacted for instructions.

We don't have a copy of the terms of the carers contract as the contract wasn't with us . I will look into getting hold of one. I should clarify they are charging the Estate for moving the body.

Who commissioned the provision of the care services, the deceased, their next of kin, or A N Other?

To be honest I don't know, it looks like the deceased from the little paper work we have seen. We live at the opposite end of the country.

acR

FlorayG said:

Surely the carers must have called the next of kin to tell them he had died? So their argument may be that they were not given any specific instructions when they called
If they called the funeral director before calling the relatives that's a bit weird - and even then the relatives could have countermanded their instructions

It certainly looks like they called the funeral director before calling the family to clarify instructions. Next of kin were not contacted until the next morning. Even if they couldn't get somebody in the night what was the hurry to move the body until they had spoken to the next of kin?

eskbanker

acR said:

FlorayG said:

Surely the carers must have called the next of kin to tell them he had died? So their argument may be that they were not given any specific instructions when they called
If they called the funeral director before calling the relatives that's a bit weird - and even then the relatives could have countermanded their instructions

It certainly looks like they called the funeral director before calling the family to clarify instructions. Next of kin were not contacted until the next morning. Even if they couldn't get somebody in the night what was the hurry to move the body until they had spoken to the next of kin?

Perhaps the care company has a policy of not leaving a body unattended in such circumstances?

acR

Undervalued said:

acR said:

Hello, My Uncle died recently at home whilst under constant care. It was during the night and the carer just rang the nearest funeral director to have the body removed. My Uncle had a prepaid funeral plan from a company which this particular funeral director didn't work with. The next day body then had to moved to the correct funeral director. I have just been told we will be billed for having to have the body relocated. It is a not insignificant sum. 
If the carer had rang the next of kin they could have informed them of this as they had all the details of the funeral plan. Do they have cause for complaint or should they just leave it ?

Are you the next of kin or named in your Uncle's will as an executor?

I should clarify they are charging the Estate for moving the body.

acR

eskbanker said:

acR said:

FlorayG said:

Surely the carers must have called the next of kin to tell them he had died? So their argument may be that they were not given any specific instructions when they called
If they called the funeral director before calling the relatives that's a bit weird - and even then the relatives could have countermanded their instructions

It certainly looks like they called the funeral director before calling the family to clarify instructions. Next of kin were not contacted until the next morning. Even if they couldn't get somebody in the night what was the hurry to move the body until they had spoken to the next of kin?

Perhaps the care company has a policy of not leaving a body unattended in such circumstances?

Yes, that may be the case. As others have pointed I need to get the care companies terms and get a better understanding of what actually happened and what should have happened. All the comments have been extremely helpful. I know the questions I need to ask now.

TELLIT01

Grumpy_chap said:

If the individual was under constant care, did the Carer present when he took a turn for the worst not call for an Ambulance / Doctor in the first instance?
I would have then expected the Ambulance to take the patient (even if obviously deceased) to the hospital, where a Dr can formally declare life extinct. 

That certainly was not the case when my neighbour died.  The ambulance arrived and the attending paramedic declared life extinct.  The neighbour's body was left in the house and an undertaker contacted.

acR

sheramber said:

Who issued the death certificate confirming  cause  of death?

The GP, after referral to the medical examiner.

Undervalued

acR said:

Grumpy_chap said:

user1977 said:

I thought the normal advice for an expected death at home was to call the GP first? No point in extra work for the ambulances/hospital. But no urgency to get the funeral director involved.

From Age UK website:

If someone dies at home and their death was expected

Call their GP practice and nearest relative (if that's not you). In most instances, the doctor will then issue a medical certificate that states the cause of death to allow the death to be registered. You’ll also be given a formal notice stating that the medical certificate has been signed. This notice tells you how to register the death. Then, when you feel ready to do so, you can contact a funeral director of your choice who will move the body.

Thanks.

Presumably, the GP does not just issue the death certificate over the phone but actually attends the premises to evidence that the individual is, indeed, deceased.

I am not sure what level of out-of-hours cover the GP will offer these days - it probably varies.

BUT, the OP has reported that the individual passed during the night and the Carer simply called a Funeral Director out-of-hours - did not, apparently, call any Medical person (whether GP or Ambulance) and did not call family.

The family were not contacted until the following day. We are trying to find out exactly what happened but think an ambulance was called and they could do nothing.  

Unless the ambulance happened to have a doctor on board (a few do), I don't think a paramedic or ambulance technician can certify death. I cannot imagine an undertaker would move a body without a death certificate. So I think your first step must be to clarify exactly what happened. 

Without wishing be be indelicate, if a significant number of hours had elapsed between death and discovery, then the ambulance attending, it may be understandable why the care home wanted the body removed as soon as possible.