'Don't die in Derry at the weekend', says local undertaker amid anger over funeral delays

A leading undertaker in Derry has criticised the treatment of families whose loved ones die in the city at the weekend.

Alex Bradley, owner of Bradley & McLaughlin’s Undertakers, said difficulties in contacting doctors and the coroner’s service at the weekend often leads to delays in bodies being released for burial.

Mr Bradley said the current systems in place only added to families’ distress.

“It is definitely a case of don’t die in Derry at the weekend,” he said.

For many years, undertakers have complained about the problems surrounding the release of getting a body released at the weekend.

However, Mr Bradley said little had been done to address the problem.

“One of the main issues is getting a doctor to sign the death certificate.

“Quite often at the weekend, there are only locum doctors working and they are reluctant to sign a death certificate for someone if they have not treated.

“So we have to find the person’s own doctor to sign the certificate, but because it is a weekend the doctor could be away.

“If there is a case where a doctor can’t be contacted, it can put the process back a day or two.

“This all adds to the delay in getting the body released and obviously adds to the stress of the bereaved families.”

Mr Bradley was also critical of the current system surrounding the requirement for post-mortems.

“As it stands, if someone dies suddenly and there is a need for a post-mortem, the body has to be taken to Belfast.

“The contract for the transportation of bodies for post-mortem is held by an undertaker based in Lurgan.

“So if someone dies suddenly in Derry, the family has to wait for an undertaker to travel from Lurgan and then transport the body to Belfast.

“In many cases, the body is not allowed to be moved until the undertaker arrives so this is obviously another difficult thing for families to cope with.

“A city the size of Derry should have its own facilities where post-mortems can be carried out.

“Millions have been spent on the mortuary at Altnagelvin Hospital.

“However, at the minute it’s basically just being used as a holding centre until bodies can be taken to Belfast.

“This whole post-mortem system and the need for better systems in place at the weekend need to be looked at.

“We have been highlighting this for many years but nothing has been done.

“The families of people who pass away in Derry deserve to be treated better.”