Donating a body to medical science in the UK

November 5, 2024 1:15 AM

My father is dying, currently in hospital but may move to a hospice. He has previously said consistently he would like to donate his body. That's not a decision he has capacity to make now, but we could make it for him. Does anyone have any experience of how this works in the UK, specifically England? We will of course talk to the hospital or hospice staff, but I wondered if anyone would be able to tell me how it had worked for their family or friends.

I have seen this previous question: What is the cheapest way to (legally) dispose of a body?, where some answers discuss donation, and I have also seen brainwave's excellent project Eldercare, Family Caretaking, and End-of-life Logistics: Stuff I Learned, but neither are UK-focussed. The hospital he is in now is a teaching hospital so I realise that is the option that makes sense if they will accept his body.

As well as logistics, interested in the emotional aspect - it is possible that one of his closest family won't be happy with the idea, in which case we probably wouldn't go ahead.

posted by paduasoy to Grab Bag (1 answer total)

Looks like he would need the capacity to put it in writing and have this donation witnessed - according to Royal College of Surgeons of England.
posted by london explorer girl at 2:54 AM on November 5