Funeral directors fear bodies will pile up if there is a Covid or flu outbreak due to new laws on certifying deaths coming into force tomorrow.
They are concerned the extra red tape will bring a backlog of burials and cremations this winter as doctors and undertakers get to grips with the rules, for which they have little time to prepare.
A statutory medical examiner system is being rolled out across England and Wales to provide independent scrutiny, meaning two doctors will now be required to sign off on a death.
Fatalities not dealt with by a coroner will be checked by a second senior medic called a medical examiner in a bid to prevent another Lucy Letby or Harold Shipman case.
A funeral director, who did not want to be named, said: “While we understand the need for greater scrutiny of deaths in some circumstances this will make it more complicated and slower for families to obtain a death certificate, which they need for a funeral to go ahead. If we have a bad winter and more people die of Covid or flu, we could potentially really see the bodies piling up.”
They added: “We don’t yet know how many of these medical examiners there will be or how easy it will be to chase them up. The last thing the bereaved need is administrative complications leading to them having to delay a funeral.” Officials say the move will “protect the public” and “strengthen safeguards”.
The national system to cross-check all deaths was first recommended two decades ago, after the 2002 public inquiry following the killing of more than 200 people by GP Harold Shipman.
From tomorrow, family doctors certifying deaths in the community will also need to refer it to the medical examiner.
The National Association of Funeral Directors has been contacting its members to offer help and advice. CEO Andrew Judd said: “The new system will take time to settle in and will exacerbate some of the delays being experienced by bereaved families. Funeral directors, crematoria, GPs, coroners and others in the sector have had very little time to get to grips with the guidance.”
