GP Confirmed Death at Home by Videocall

How awful, The widow needed a comforting GP to attend.

This surely cannot be right, it seems certainly the most heartless way of dealing with the poor widow. Surely the point of the doctor attending is to confirm life is extinct, so how can a layperson be expected to do what a doctor should do, he/she surely needs to check the pulse etc? What is the NHS coming to? I hope this report makes people strongly react, and we should not accept this, its basically inhumane

Oh my goodness how horrific is this!

I read that earlier and was totally shocked! What a callous way to act.

So shocking. Heartless! What next??

The work doesn't work for everyone because it is behind a paywall. Does anybody have an actual copy of the article that we could all read?

The work doesn't work

The LINK doesn't work.

I'm all a-fluster with this Queen Bee chatter, sorry...

A Nurse from the District Nursing Team warned me that DH was reaching the end, as his breathing had changed and if he died, not to ring 999 as they’d try to resuscitate and probably take him to hospital. She said not to bother the GP (who had been very helpful) but to ring her and she’d come straight over to certify, which is what happened.

What an awful situation that poor lady was put in. (I didn’t expect nor got a subsequent visit from our GP lemsip).

What if the person didn’t have a phone/camera ?

Surely it has to be a qualified medical person who confirms death and time of death?

My neighbour died recently and his Partner was also asked to send a photo by phone to his GP. I found it difficult to believe that this could happen.
I still wonder how a photograph could confirm a death?

Will they still claim their 'ash cash'?

How dare they treating people like that, where is the compassion, where is the care? Poor woman, this is such a traumatic experience, really feel for her. And by the way, how can they know it is a natural death? Mind boggles...

An elderly widow was forced to certify her husband's death via video call after a GP said they “don't come out any more”. The patient, who was 80 and had been dying from cancer, passed away at home shortly after 4pm on a weekday earlier this month.5 hours ago

Widow forced to verify husband's death on video call because ...https://www.telegraph.co.uk › news › 2022/08/28 › wido...

avitorl

My neighbour died recently and his Partner was also asked to send a photo by phone to his GP. I found it difficult to believe that this could happen.
I still wonder how a photograph could confirm a death?

I doubt I would be able to hold a phone camera steady enough for a doctor to see if the 'deceased' was still breathing.

Thank V3ra for alerting us to this. I will tell Best Beloved so we are both prepared to refuse the request. I wonder what happens if you do refuse or don't have a camera phone.

I certainly wouldn’t of being able to do that if asked thankfully a GP came out when OH died although I had to wait 4 hrs till evening surgery ended. Disgusting what are they thinking.

NfkDumpling

Surely it has to be a qualified medical person who confirms death and time of death?

Unfortunately I can’t read the article because of the paywall, but no, a suitably qualified nurse can verify a death, it doesn’t have to be done by a doctor.

Aveline

Will they still claim their 'ash cash'?

Certifying a death is not the same as authorising a cremation.

My mother died four months ago in a care home and a doctor from her surgery came to the home to confirm the death. He then took the time to phone me the next morning, from home as it was a Saturday, to offer his condolences and talk me through the process of registering the death and arranging the funeral. I’d never met him but was very impressed with his consideration and care.

I can’t think of anything worse than being expected to take a photo of a loved one to certify the death. It doesn’t seem legal somehow.

Thete is actually national guidance on this!
Who knew?!!

www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.bma.org.uk/media/2323/bma-guidelines-for-remote-voed-april-2020.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiqkvSA1-r5AhWBR8AKHaNCBCMQFnoECBoQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2UlGHz2dmtobc8FUPK8utk

Forgot to say, the link is to a pdf download
I've attached an image if the 1st page in case you are wary of downloads.

That is dreadful, and quite frightening. What if the person was not really dead! Surely it's not legal over a phone to pronounce someone has died?

That guidance says for deaths at home during the pandemic. I could understand emergency measure being in place during a time of crisis, but guess what...the pandemic has passed. We can go back to being treated like humans again. Except it seems not. As with everything else, legislation brought in during the pandemic is probably here to stay, so we'd better get used to being treated as though there were bodies lying everywhere and no medical staff available. In fact, that's not far off the mark anyway.

NotSpaghetti

Thete is actually national guidance on this!
Who knew?!!

www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.bma.org.uk/media/2323/bma-guidelines-for-remote-voed-april-2020.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiqkvSA1-r5AhWBR8AKHaNCBCMQFnoECBoQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2UlGHz2dmtobc8FUPK8utk

Is the person who was with the deceased supposed to do all that?? Who just happens to have a stethoscope in their back pocket?

Whatever next - self-certifying your own death?