Northamptonshire County Mortuary privacy notice

1. Council contact details

1.1. West Northamptonshire Council

Registered Office:
One Angel Square
Angel Street
Northampton
NN1 1ED

Contact centre telephone: 0300 126 7000

The Data Controller is West Northamptonshire Council.

ICO registration number: ZA896620

The County Mortuary team can be contacted by email at [email protected].

1.2. This privacy notice sets out the information for the Council’s County Mortuary Service which covers:

• Coronial and Forensic Post Mortem Services for Northamptonshire County
• Body storage services
• CT Post Mortem scanning services

Summary of the service

The County Mortuary provides professional, lawful, and dignified care for the deceased. 

The service is responsible for the safe reception, storage, and maintenance of the deceased, supporting identification processes, facilitating post‑mortem examinations where required, and preparing the deceased for lawful release to funeral directors. 

The mortuary maintains high standards of health, safety, and record‑keeping, ensuring respectful management of the deceased at all times.

Why we collect and process personal data

To deliver these functions safely and lawfully, the mortuary must collect and process personal data relating to the deceased, and in some cases limited information about their next of kin or representatives. 

This information is required in order to:

• confirm and document identity of the deceased for records and safe management
• maintain accurate mortuary records, including dates of admission, storage, and release
• support post‑mortem examination processes, where required
• ensure safe and dignified handling, including infection‑control and safeguarding procedures
• liaise with families, funeral directors, and authorised agencies for lawful release and onward arrangements
• meet statutory and regulatory requirements

All processing is carried out strictly for these legitimate and statutory purposes, ensuring the secure, respectful, and accountable operation of the mortuary.

1.3. This privacy notice should be read in conjunction with the:

• Corporate Privacy Notice
• Data Protection Policy

2. Information that we hold

2.1. Information about the types of data we collect to deliver this service

The personal and special category data we collect varies according to the purpose of the contact. Applications for our services are not restricted to people living or working in Northamptonshire. Anyone is entitled to contact the Council about our service. 

The information we hold may include:

• deceased’s and next of kin’s full name
• deceased’s and next of kin’s address (including postcode)
• next of kin’s contact details
• visitor details
• visitor's vehicle registration numbers
• further personal details such as gender and age (including date of birth)
• Unique Identifier

Where applicable we will also collect and process Special Category Data relating to:

• health data
• social Care data
• racial or ethnic origin
• religious belief
• health, disability and behavioural data
• sexual life
• sexual orientation
• commission or alleged commission of an offence
• proceedings for any offence committed or alleged

3. How and why your information is collected and used

3.1. How we collect this personal information

Most of the personal information we process is provided to us directly by you in the following ways:

• face to face
• reports
• forms
• telephone
• email or in writing

3.2. Why we collect your information

There are a number of reasons why we need to collect and use your personal information.

Much of what we do in The County Mortuary is governed by legislation, set nationally, which requires us to provide various services across Northamptonshire. 

We process personal data to deliver public tasks outlined in the follow pieces of legislation:

• Coroners and Justice Act 2009
• Human Tissue Act 2004

The information we collect, and store is also used to provide an auditable record of service delivery and enables us to contact people initiating reports/issues to request further information or provide updates.

Whenever we collect information, we always limit this to only the details that are needed. We ensure that data is used and stored safely and securely. 

We require anyone we share information with, or who uses it on our behalf, to do so too. All County Mortuary staff have received training on data protection and information security.

3.3. Lawful processing

We rely on the following lawful reasons to process your person data in the Property Response Service:

UK GDPR Article 6

e. Processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest.

UK GDPR Article 9(2)

i. Processing is necessary for reasons of public interest in the area of public health.

4. What we do with the information

4.1. How we use your personal information

We collect and use personal information about people who contact or interact with the County Mortuary Service in order to deliver our statutory and operational responsibilities safely, lawfully, and effectively. 

This includes individuals such as next of kin, family members, funeral directors, healthcare professionals, police officers (including transport and boarder force), partner agencies, and anyone making enquiries or providing information relevant to the care, identification, or release of the deceased.

We use your personal information to:

• confirm identity when you contact the mortuary or attend the premises
• record your relationship to the deceased and verify your authority to receive information or make decisions relating to the deceased
• arrange viewings, identification procedures, or property collection, ensuring these are handled in a dignified and secure way
• communicate with you regarding the status of the deceased, release arrangements, collection of personal belongings, or other relevant updates
• coordinate with funeral directors or other authorised representatives as part of the safe and lawful release process
• maintain accurate and auditable records of interactions, decisions, permissions, and attendance at the mortuary
• ensure safety and security through visitor logs, ID checks, and CCTV monitoring where used
• respond to enquiries, concerns, or complaints submitted by you
• meet legal, regulatory, and safeguarding obligations
• support public authority functions, including cooperation with lawful investigations (e.g., police, safeguarding teams) when necessary and appropriate

We only use your information for these legitimate purposes and do not use it in ways that are incompatible with the delivery of the mortuary service.

4.2. Who we share your information with

In order to deliver our mortuary services, to undertake our statutory and non-statutory duties as a Local Authority, and to support associated public health and coronial processes, it is often necessary for us to share information across the Council, with our contractors or agents, and with partner agencies and government departments.

This may include sharing personal information with:

• HM Senior Coroner for Northamptonshire and Coroner’s Officers so that they can investigate deaths within their jurisdiction
• NHS professionals, such as Consultant pathologists, who undertake post‑mortem examinations on behalf of the Coroner and require contextual or background information to determine cause of death
• regulatory and oversight bodies, such as the Human Tissue Authority (HTA), where we are required to provide information to demonstrate compliance with licensing, regulatory, or professional standards
• funeral directors, personal representatives, or other authorised individuals where this is necessary to support arrangements for the deceased person
• other Local Authorities where deaths or responsibilities cross administrative boundaries
• Police and other emergency services, where necessary for public protection, safeguarding, or legal obligations
• approved contractors, system providers or agents working on our behalf, where they support the provision of mortuary facilities or related administrative functions under appropriate contractual safeguards

Where information is used solely for internal operational purpose, such as the management of viewing appointments or formal identification bookings, we use this information within the service only and do not routinely share it with third parties unless required by law.

We will only share information where we have a valid legal basis, and we will always share the minimum amount of information necessary.

When we publish information in public, we will follow procedures that we have in place to remove personal data associated with the record.

We will share personal information with law enforcement agencies or other authorities only if required by applicable law and in accordance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

4.3. Automated Decision making

We do not use automated decision making for this processing. Automated decision-making is where decisions are made about you without any human influence on the outcome. These may affect your legal rights or have an impact on your circumstances, behavior or choices.

4.4. Data Profiling

There is no profiling undertaken in relation to this processing. Profiling is where parts of an individual’s personality, behavior, interests and habits are analysed to identify their preferences, make predictions or decisions about them.

4.5. Automated Processing including AI

The County Mortuary service does not use automated processing or Artificial Intelligence in respect of your personal data.

E.g. Automated processing includes use of internal or external text generation tools to create case file notes and reports. Artificial Intelligence includes the use of software to complete tasks more usually undertaken by people.

5. How long we keep your information for and how we securely dispose of it after use

5.1. Information about how your personal data is kept.

We only keep information for as long as it is needed in line with the council’s retention schedule. This will differ according to the type of information we hold and its purpose. It will be based on either a legal requirement (where a law says we have to keep information for a specific period of time), a regulatory requirement or accepted business practice.

5.2. We will securely dispose of your information in line with the Council's Retention Schedules.

6. How we store your information

6.1. Physical (paper) records

The mortuary occasionally holds physical (paper) records where these are required for operational, legal, or administrative purposes. This may include admission forms, identification documents, viewing records, property logs, or signed authorisations.

Collection and processing

Physical records are created or received only where necessary for the safe and lawful operation of the mortuary. Paper documents are handled by authorised staff and processed in secure working areas that are not accessible to the public.

Records are logged, reviewed, and filed in accordance with the service’s documented procedures to ensure accuracy, confidentiality, and traceability.

Storage and security

All paper records are stored in locked filing cabinets or secure rooms within restricted‑access areas of the mortuary. Access is strictly limited to authorised personnel with a legitimate operational need. 

Storage areas are subject to routine security measures, including controlled entry and, where applicable, CCTV coverage, in line with the Council’s corporate security standards.

Archiving and retention

Physical records are retained only for as long as they are required to fulfil statutory obligations, support operational needs, or meet legal and audit requirements.

Once a record is no longer in active use, it may be transferred to a secure archive facility for the remainder of its retention period. Archived files are managed under structured retention schedules that ensure documents are kept for the correct length of time based on their purpose and legal classification.

Destruction and disposal

At the end of their retention period, physical records are securely destroyed by confidentially waste disposal services that comply with data‑protection and information‑security requirements. A destruction log is maintained to ensure accountability and compliance with statutory standards.

6.2. Electronic information

Digital data is securely stored on the council’s computer network or on cloud severs based in the UK.

7. Your data protection rights

7.1. The law gives you a number of rights to control what personal information is used by us and how we can use it. Please see section 5 of the council’s the council's Privacy Policy for further information.

7.2. Please be aware that your rights may differ depending on the lawful basis for processing your personal data.

8. Who to contact

8.1. If you would like further information about how we use your personal information, or you wish to exercise one of your data rights or you wish to complain about the use of your personal information please contact the Data Protection Officer.

8.2. If you are still dissatisfied with how we have used your data once you have made a complaint through the council’s internal complaints procedure you have the right to complain to the ICO.

The ICO’s address:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113

9. Changes to this Service Privacy Notice

9.1. Privacy notices are live documents and will be updated or revised periodically in line with service changes and / or new legislation requirements.

This privacy notice was last updated April 2026.

The update reference number is: PNS/26/058/G

Last updated 17 April 2026