A Complete Guide
Can you donate your body to medical science after you die?
Yes. People in England and Wales can choose to donate their body after death for anatomical examination, medical education, training and research.
Donated bodies continue to play an important part in training doctors, surgeons and other healthcare professionals. They can be used to teach human anatomy, develop and practise surgical techniques and support research into the structure and functioning of the human body.
However, body donation is quite different from organ donation, and there is one particularly important rule:
You must make the decision yourself during your lifetime. Your family cannot donate your body for you after you die.
Under the Human Tissue Act 2004, consent for anatomical examination must be in writing, signed and witnessed before death.
Is body donation automatic under the organ donation opt-out system?
No.
England and Wales both have opt-out, or “deemed consent”, arrangements for certain organ and tissue donation. Those rules do not apply to donating your whole body to a medical school.
Whole-body donation remains an opt-in arrangement. You must have given valid written and witnessed consent yourself.
This distinction is worth remembering because saying to your family, “I’d like my body to go to medical science”, is not enough on its own.
How do I arrange to donate my body?
You normally register with the medical school or body donation programme covering the area in which you live. The Human Tissue Authority provides a postcode search to help you identify the appropriate establishment.
The usual process is to contact the relevant medical school, obtain its body donation information and consent form, complete the form correctly, return the required copy and keep another copy with your Will or important papers. The HTA also recommends telling your family, close friends, executor and doctor what you have arranged.
You can find the appropriate medical school using the Human Tissue Authority’s medical school search.
Should I put body donation in my Will?
It is sensible to mention your wishes in your Will, but a clause in a Will should not be treated as a substitute for completing the medical school’s consent procedure.
The HTA recommends keeping a copy of the completed consent form with your Will. It also recommends making your family, executor and GP aware of your intentions.
There is a very practical reason for this. After death, things have to happen quickly. A beautifully drafted instruction hidden in a Will that nobody reads for several weeks may be of little practical use.
Can my executor or attorney consent for me?
No.
A family member, executor or an attorney acting under a Power of Attorney cannot decide after your death to donate your body for anatomical examination. The required decision must have been made by you, in writing and witnessed, while you were alive.
And, of course, any Power of Attorney ends on death anyway.
Can I be both an organ donor and a body donor?
Potentially, yes.
The HTA advises people who want both possibilities to make those wishes clear to the people closest to them. In practice, however, removal of organs for transplantation will usually mean that a medical school cannot subsequently accept the body for anatomical examination.
The London Anatomy Office’s current guidance similarly explains that people can be registered for both and that the circumstances of the death may determine which form of donation is possible.
So it is better to think of these as alternative possibilities rather than assuming both will necessarily happen.
Is acceptance of my body guaranteed?
No. This is probably the most important practical point after consent itself.
Registering as a body donor does not guarantee that the body will eventually be accepted.
Medical schools have their own acceptance criteria. The HTA says reasons for refusal can include medical conditions, the need for a post-mortem examination and practical issues such as capacity or holiday closures.
For example, the current London Anatomy Office guidance lists possible reasons for non-acceptance including some infectious diseases, post-mortem examination, organ donation other than corneas, obesity or very low BMI, some forms of dementia, significant pressure sores or unhealed recent surgery, certain forms of oedema or ascites, gangrene or jaundice and conditions which may interfere with preservation.
These are not necessarily universal rules, so the relevant medical school should always make the decision.
What happens if a Coroner orders a post-mortem?
A Coroner’s involvement can prevent a body donation from proceeding, particularly if a post-mortem examination is required.
The HTA specifically identifies post-mortem examination as an important reason why a medical school might be unable to accept a body.
This is one reason why anyone planning body donation should also make alternative funeral arrangements or at least ensure their family knows what they would want if the donation cannot proceed.
What should relatives do when the donor dies?
The medical school or donation office should be contacted as soon as possible.
This is not something to leave until after the funeral arrangements have begun.
For example, the London Anatomy Office requires relatives or executors to notify it promptly. If death occurs in hospital, its guidance says the body should normally remain in the hospital mortuary while acceptance is considered. If death occurs at home or in a nursing home, refrigerated care through a funeral director may be necessary.
Farewill makes a similar practical point in its guide: the medical school needs to be contacted quickly and the body may need to be kept under suitable refrigerated conditions while the decision is made.
Who pays for the funeral director while acceptance is being decided?
This varies between donation programmes and circumstances.
The HTA warns that an estate may sometimes have to meet transport costs, particularly where the donation falls outside the normal geographical area.
Under the London Anatomy Office scheme, costs incurred by a funeral director before the London Anatomy Office’s appointed funeral director takes charge remain the responsibility of the next of kin or estate.
This is another good reason not to assume body donation means there can never be funeral expenses.
What happens if the body is rejected?
The family or executors must make normal funeral arrangements.
The HTA states that if no medical school can accept the donation, the estate will need to arrange the funeral.
The London Anatomy Office also makes clear that if a proposed donation is not accepted, the responsibility and cost of burial or cremation rests with the executors or next of kin.
A sensible estate plan should therefore always contain a Plan B.
How long can a medical school keep a donated body?
This depends upon the consent given and the medical school concerned.
Under the current London Anatomy Office scheme, donors can consent either to indefinite retention or to a maximum period of three years. Where the three-year option is chosen, the donor can also decide whether parts may subsequently be retained for continued study. In some cases, however, a body may be used and released much sooner.
This is something that should be discussed with family beforehand. Waiting several years before a final cremation can be emotionally quite different from the funeral process families normally experience.
Can photographs or images be taken?
Medical schools may wish to create images for education, training or research.
The London Anatomy Office consent form specifically gives donors a choice about consenting to images being taken of their body or body parts.
The exact arrangements should therefore be checked on the consent form provided by the relevant medical school.
Can the family still hold a funeral or memorial service?
Yes.
Donating a body to medical science does not prevent the family holding a memorial service, thanksgiving service or celebration of life shortly after the death. In many cases this may be particularly helpful because the body could remain with the medical school for months or even years.
The eventual funeral or cremation arrangements will depend upon the particular medical school and the consent given by the donor. Some anatomy programmes also hold their own annual services of thanksgiving or remembrance for donors and their families.
Under the London Anatomy Office arrangements, for example, relatives may later choose to attend the eventual cremation, receive the ashes, and be invited to an annual Service of Thanksgiving.
What happens when the medical school has finished?
Arrangements depend on the medical school and the consent given.
For example, the London Anatomy Office allows relatives or executors either to arrange a private funeral when the body is released or to ask the London Anatomy Office to arrange an eventual cremation. Under its current arrangements, the Office meets the cost where it arranges that cremation. Relatives may choose to be told the date, attend the short committal service and/or receive the ashes.
The London Anatomy Office also holds an annual Service of Thanksgiving commemorating people who have donated their bodies.
Can I change my mind?
Yes.
Consent to body donation can be withdrawn.
For example, the London Anatomy Office says a registered donor can withdraw consent by notifying it in writing, after which the donor’s details and consent documentation are removed.
If you move to another part of the country, it is also sensible to review the arrangement because body donation programmes operate within geographical areas. The HTA advises contacting the medical school if you have moved.
Body donation and estate planning
If donating your body to medical science is important to you, don’t simply write “I want my body donated to science” on a piece of paper and assume everything is sorted.
Complete the appropriate consent process while you are alive. Keep the documentation somewhere obvious. Tell your executors and family. Tell your GP. Record the relevant medical school’s contact details. And make clear what you would like to happen if the donation cannot be accepted.
That last point is easily overlooked.
Your funeral wishes might therefore say, in effect:
First preference: body donation if accepted.
Alternative: cremation or burial according to your stated wishes if donation is not possible.
That gives your family something far more useful than discovering your intentions when they are already trying to work out what to do.
Useful body donation links
The principal source should be the Human Tissue Authority – Body Donation FAQs, which explains the legal and practical position.
To find the programme covering your address, use the HTA Find a Medical School service.
For people in London and much of South-East England, see the London Anatomy Office.
Frequently asked questions about donating your body to science
Can my children donate my body after I die?
No. For anatomical examination, the donor must have given written and witnessed consent before death.
Does putting it in my Will make it legally effective?
You should complete the body donation consent form supplied by the relevant medical school. The HTA recommends keeping a copy with your Will.
Is there an upper age limit?
Rules are determined by individual programmes. The London Anatomy Office currently states that there is no upper age limit, although donors must be over 17.
Will the medical school definitely accept me?
No. Acceptance cannot be guaranteed.
Can I donate my organs as well?
You can express both wishes, but removal of organs for transplantation will usually prevent subsequent whole-body donation.
Will my family receive my ashes?
That depends upon the arrangements made with the particular donation programme. Under the London Anatomy Office scheme, relatives can request the ashes after the Office-arranged cremation.