When someone dies in a public place

A public place refers to anywhere that is neither a care facility (such as a hospital or care home), or a person's home. For example, it may be a hotel or a sports club.

When a death occurs in a public place the emergency services are almost always called to attend.

On this page:

Deaths from natural causes
Deaths of a suspicious nature

Deaths from natural causes

If the death appears to have natural causes and paramedics agree that further resuscitation and transfer to hospital would not be helpful, the police will usually arrange for a funeral director working for the coroner to remove the body to the nearest public mortuary. This may be located at a hospital.

If the death has occurred in a very public place such as a shop, the ambulance crew may take the deceased to the public mortuary themselves.

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Deaths of a suspicious nature

When a death is confirmed with no evident natural causes, the police will be in charge of the area.

They will arrange for a funeral director working for the coroner to remove the body to the nearest public mortuary.

The coroner will usually order a post mortem examination - unless a doctor has been treating the deceased for a condition that could have caused a sudden collapse.

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