The delays in the death certificate leave Sunderland families in 'Limbo'

The family of a woman who died last month said that she “has no dignity” while lying in a funeral company in “Limbo” because the deaths were officially signed.

Leanne Day from Castletown in Sunderland said that it was “heartbreaking” to know that her grandmother Joyce Sinclair, who died on April 16, had not yet been embalmed because her death certificate had not yet been issued.

New rules mean that all deaths have to be checked by a forensic doctor or medical examiner, but South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Trust (STTSFT) has contributed to a deficiency.

It apologized for delays that were “not acceptable” and said that it recruited more medical examiners to “accelerate the matter”.

The reforms of the certification system, which came into force in September last year, expanded the independent examination of people in the hospital to “without exception” all deaths in England and Wales.

The Ministry of Health said the new system, which was partially introduced after the murder of patients under Harold Shipman, improved the security and it worked to minimize delays on site.

It is assumed that the waiting times that the certified deaths rose from five to seven days according to the new rules, but families on Wearside have informed the BBC that they waited weeks.

“I feel useless … it is heartbreaking,” said Miss Day, whose grandmother died in a nursing home at the age of 96, the BBC.

“To know that she did everything for us and we cannot.

“She has none at all. It's just terrible.”

Since the family has not yet received a death certificate, the funeral company must not begin the maintenance process.

Miss Day said: “We wake up in one morning and we are still not forward. It is the soul disorder to know that my Nana is decomposed in a funeral company.”

She said the delay also meant that the family could not complete bank accounts or start their insurance claims, which contributed to their agony.

The medical examiner office was “absolutely not prepared for the additional workload,” she said, adding: “I am confident that the big weaknesses would not be happy if this would be treated in this way.”

Elsewhere in Sunderland, Margaret Bramall said that she could not havehock her daughter Lynsey Hutchinson for four weeks because she received delays in obtaining a death certificate

It finally arrived after 14 days.

The 44 -year -old Lynsey, who had sons at the age of 15 and 21, died on March 27 after a diagnosis of early dementia a few years ago.

Her mother, who lives in Ryhope, said: “It was heartbreaking and absolutely devastating. I just thought she couldn't be calm.”

Ms. Bramall, who is widowed, previously waited 18 days for her son Keith's funeral, who died with Covid in 2020, said that this was “understandable”.

But she said the delays about the funeral of her daughter left her “depressed”.

“It is so wrong for people who have lost someone to wait a month, it was so difficult to wait that it was only there.

“I went to her body, but I didn't want anyone to see her because it wasn't her.”

Father Marc Lyden-Smith, who heads churches in Houghton-Le-Spring and Seam, said it was not unusual for families to wait up to six weeks until they bury the relatives.

“A layer of bureaucracy has been added to protect relatives, but the harmful effects of families,” he said.

“In some cases, families do not have access to say goodbye because death has not been signed.

“The delays have a major impact on the mourning process and do not allow people to say goodbye.”

The STST said that it had supported a “review of systems and processes” in the medical examiner office, which had “improved matters”, and a “considerable amount of work” to prevent hold-ups is now in progress.

Dr. Shaz Wahid, his medical director of the Executive Medical, said that the trust was aware of the “further excitement and need”, which were caused at a “difficult time”.

He said that the workload had an increase in the workload, “unforeseen absence” contributed to the delay that trust had recruited more medical examiners and brought “more people” into the work of additional changes.

“As trust, we also support the medical examiner's office by providing family members of the family to keep families up to date with their relatives,” said Dr. Wahid.