Mortuary Services privacy notice

The London Borough of Waltham Forest is the data controller for the personal data processed by the East London Forensic Centre Mortuary Service. The service sits within the Directorate of Resources and processes information needed to manage and record the care, identification, storage, movement, transfer and release of deceased persons, together with related administrative, legal and statutory processes.

The Council uses a secure digital records system to support the effective management of mortuary records. The system enables authorised staff to record, access and update relevant information throughout the deceased person’s journey. It also supports auditability, improves paper-based processes and helps the Council meet its legal, statutory, regulatory and public-interest responsibilities.

Where necessary, contracted service providers may process personal data on behalf of the Council under appropriate contractual and data-processing arrangements.

You can contact the East London Forensic Centre Mortuary Service by email at mortuary@walthamforest.gov.uk, by telephone on 020 8496 3374, or by post at:

East London Forensic Centre

124A Queen’s Road

London

E17 8QP

The mortuary case-management system may hold the following information where it is necessary for the service:

Information concerning the deceased

• Full name
• Date of birth
• Date of death
• Sex or gender, as recorded
• NHS number
• Hospital or medical record number
• Home address and/or place of death, including postcode
• Telephone number, where recorded
• Body size and body condition
• GP details
• Information required to identify the deceased and complete certification
• Records relating to the care, identification, storage, movement, transfer and release of the deceased

Information about a deceased person is not personal data for the purposes of UK GDPR. However, it remains subject to applicable confidentiality, records-management, statutory and regulatory requirements.

Personal information concerning living individuals

Where necessary for mortuary or bereavement processes, the secure digital records system may also hold personal information about living individuals, including:

• Next of kin and other relatives or family members
• Nominated representatives
• GPs and other individuals involved in certification or reporting
• Funeral directors and other individuals involved in managing, transferring or releasing the deceased

This may include their:

• Name
• Relationship to the deceased
• Contact details
• Professional or organisational details
• Relevant communications and correspondence
• Information required to verify their identity, authority or involvement in the mortuary or bereavement process

We may receive information directly from you, from relatives or representatives, from funeral directors, from GPs and healthcare professionals, from coroners and the Coroner’s Service, and from other organisations involved in the lawful management, transfer or release of the deceased. 

We only process information that is necessary to deliver the service and meet the Council’s legal, statutory, regulatory and operational responsibilities. Access is restricted to authorised users according to their role.

We use information recorded in the secure digital records system to:

• Accurately identify the deceased
• Record and manage the care of the deceased while within the mortuary service
• Document the receipt, storage, location and movement of the deceased
• Manage transfers and the authorised release of the deceased
• Complete relevant certification and reporting processes
• Record information about next of kin, nominated representatives and other people involved in the mortuary or bereavement process
• Confirm the identity, relationship or authority of individuals involved in arrangements for the deceased
• Communicate with relevant individuals and organisations concerning the deceased
• Maintain a complete and auditable record of the deceased person’s journey through the service
• Support safe and effective mortuary and bereavement-service operations
• Meet the Council’s legal, statutory, regulatory and public-interest responsibilities
• Support audit, traceability, governance, incident investigation and regulatory compliance
• Produce operational reports and service-management information

The Council relies on Article 6(1)(c) UK GDPR where processing is necessary to comply with legal, statutory or regulatory obligations. This includes sharing information with the Coroner and the Coroner’s Service where necessary to support a coronial investigation or other statutory function.

The Council also relies on Article 6(1)(e) UK GDPR where processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority. This includes providing mortuary and bereavement services, managing the deceased safely, maintaining appropriate records and supporting associated statutory processes.

Where we process special category personal data about living individuals, the Council will rely on an applicable condition under Article 9 UK GDPR and, where required, a condition under the Data Protection Act 2018. This may include processing that is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest, where supported by an appropriate basis in law. The Council will only process special category data where this is necessary and lawful.

Information may be shared only where it is necessary, proportionate and lawful. This may include:

• Authorised staff within the East London Forensic Centre Mortuary Service
• Contracted service providers acting on behalf of the Council under appropriate contractual and data-processing arrangements
• Funeral directors involved in the transfer or release of the deceased
• The Coroner and the Coroner’s Service, where necessary to support a coronial investigation or other statutory function
• GPs and other relevant healthcare or certification professionals

Other parties involved in the lawful management, transfer or release of the deceased

The DPIA does not identify any routine international transfers of personal data. If any international transfer is introduced, the Council will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place before the transfer takes place and will update this notice where necessary.

Information held within the secure digital records system will be retained in accordance with:

• Waltham Forest Council’s records retention and disposal policy; and
• Applicable records-management requirements relevant to mortuary records.

The applicable retention period will depend on the nature of the record and the relevant legal, statutory, regulatory, operational and records-management requirements. At the end of the applicable retention period, information will be securely deleted or disposed of in accordance with the Council’s records-management and secure-disposal policies.

We do not use this information to make automated decisions about individuals or to carry out profiling.

If information needed to deliver the service is not provided, the Council may be unable to confirm a person’s identity, verify a person’s authority to act, complete relevant records, arrange the transfer or release of the deceased, or meet its legal, statutory or regulatory responsibilities.

Our Data Protection Officer

Our Data Protection Officer is Mark Hynes. You can contact him by email at data.protectionofficer@walthamforest.gov.uk

Protecting your information

Read the how we use and protect your personal data section of the Corporate Privacy Notice.

Your information choice and rights

Read the your rights to your personal data section of the Corporate Privacy Notice.

Complaints and contact details

These are included in the relevant section of the Corporate Privacy Notice.

Information Commissioner’s Office

If we’re unable to resolve your complaint to your satisfaction, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)