Funeral delays

Delays in arranging burials may occur under a change in the law, it has emerged.

Presently, in the Western Isles a date for a funeral is arranged almost immediately after death and the service traditionally held within three days - well before the eight days deadline period for registering a death.

But now some burials may be held up by three or four days because of new rules coming in place across Scotland.

Changes could raise problems, particularly if a death occurred just before a weekend. A person dying midweek may not get buried until the following week.

From May 13th a death must be registered before burial.

In addition, a number of death certificates will be randomly chosen for double-checking their accuracy.

New rules risk delaying funerals

22 April 2015

This could mean a relative registering a death having to return to the registrar a few days later to collect the official form before burial is permitted.

About 10% of deaths will undergo a basic check, expected to take one working day - where a doctor working for Healthcare Improvement Scotland - will speak to the certifying GP.

It would take at least three working days - which excludes weekends and public holidays - if a longer scrutiny is selected as relevant medical records will then

A council report on the new arrangements highlights: “The legislation presents some challenges within the Western Isles where it is customary to make arrangements for funerals within two to three days of the death occurring and deaths are routinely registered after the burial has taken place.”

“Under the new system, death registration must be carried out before burial and, when a case is selected for medical review, the registration cannot continue until this review is completed.”

In some cases, the person registering death could apply for advance registration but would need special reasons.