Complain about The County Mortuary
The County Mortuary Service is delivered jointly by West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) and the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire (UHN).
Your feedback is important in helping West Northamptonshire Council and the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire provide a respectful, compassionate and high-quality mortuary service for local families.
Whether the service is delivered directly by the Council or the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire, we remain responsible for ensuring your experience is safe, dignified and handled with care and that it reaches the right team to respond to you.
If your feedback relates to:
- the new County Mortuary at Riverside
- the transfer of loved ones from hospital mortuaries, or
- viewing arrangements and bereavement support,
we will ensure it is passed promptly to the appropriate Complaints Team within the Council and/or the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire to follow their procedure.
- Complaints for Kettering General Hospital - email kgh-tr.complaints@nhs.net
- Complaints procedure for Northampton General Hospital
Who to contact
West Northamptonshire Council Complaints Team
Kettering General Hospital
- Email: kgh-tr.bereavementservice@nhs.net
- Telephone: 01536 493181
Northampton General Hospital
- Email: ngh-tr.bereavementservice@nhs.net
- Telephone: 01604 523489
If you are unsure who is responsible
If you are unsure who is responsible, we will work this out for you and ensure your concern is passed to the correct organisation. Some situations may involve both the Council and the hospitals.
In these cases:
- we will agree which organisation leads the investigation
- both organisations will share information and contribute to the response
- you will receive one clear, coordinated reply explaining, what we found, whether anything went wrong, what actions we are taking to put things right and how we will prevent similar issues in future
If you are unhappy with the response to your complaint
If you remain unhappy with the outcome of your complaint, then we will signpost you to the appropriate Ombudsman service to escalate your concerns.
Concerns about the Council-run mortuary service would come under the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO).
Concerns about NHS-delivered elements of the service would come under the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO).
Where a complaint involves both organisations, the Ombudsmen have a joint working protocol, so your case will be coordinated between them.
Last updated 12 October 2026