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‘We are here to help the relatives, to ensure they are treated with dignity and respect’
Working in a mortuary is certainly not as glamorous as it looks on television shows such as Silent Witness. But it is a complex, fulfilling and sometimes even an uplifting job, staff say.
Five years ago, Hull Live were given the rare opportunity to look around the mortuary at Hull Royal Infirmary and speak to staff first-hand about what the job entails. The visit resulted in a fascinating article that helped to demystify a little-known world.
We learned that not only do morticians require the surgical knowledge to examine bodies, they also require the skills of a counsellor to support grieving families. At the time, we spoke to Andrea, a member of staff, who told us: “When you first see a dead body, you simply cannot prepare for it no matter what people tell you beforehand about what you will witness.”
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She added: “You are looking at a person who was alive not long before and is someone’s loved one. You have to be robust in this job and, within six months, you will know if this is the job for you.”
“At the end of the day, people may not realise it, but we are here to help the relatives, speed the process up and ensure they are treated with dignity and respect. We are also helping people find answers surrounding the death of a loved one so they can get closure. That is why we come to work every day. We are not doing it for the trust, but for the families.”
Hull Live visited Hull Royal Infirmary in January 2018. Read the full article on what it is really like to work at Hull’s mortuary here.
