Funeral directors fear that bodies will pile up if there is a Covid or a flu outbreak due to new death certification laws that come into effect tomorrow.
They are worried that the extra red tape could lead to a backlog of burials and cremations this winter as doctors and funeral directors familiarize themselves with the rules, for which they have little time to prepare.
A mandatory coroner system is being implemented in England and Wales to provide independent scrutiny, meaning two doctors will now be required to sign off on a death.
Deaths not dealt with by a coroner will be checked by a second senior doctor, called a coroner, in an attempt to avoid another case like Lucy Letby or Harold Shipman.
A funeral director, who did not wish 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 is necessary for a funeral to take place. If we have a bad winter and more people die from Covid or flu, we could actually see the bodies piling up.”
They added: “We do not yet know how many such coroners there will be or how easy it will be to track them down. The last thing mourners need is administrative complications that lead to them having to delay a funeral.” Officials say the move will “protect the public” and “strengthen safeguards”.
The national system to verify all deaths was first recommended two decades ago, following the 2002 public inquiry into the murder of more than 200 people by GP Harold Shipman.
Starting tomorrow, family doctors who certify deaths in the community will also need to refer them to the coroner.
The National Association of Funeral Directors has been contacting its members to offer help and advice. Chief executive Andrew Judd said: “The new system will take time to settle in and will exacerbate some of the delays faced by bereaved families. Funeral directors, crematoria, GPs, coroners and others in the sector have had very little time to understand the guidance.”