Information and education resources relating to the ability of registered professionals to confirm when someone has died and to establish that there are no signs of life and that resuscitation attempts would be futile.
Learning Resources to support practitioners
The following resources were developed in response to the Scottish Government’s Confirmation of Death by registered healthcare professionals in Scotland – a framework for implementation of DL (2017) 9. These learning resources were developed by the national expert working group led by NHS Education for Scotland, and are intended to support local training and preparation of registered healthcare professionals who will be undertaking the procedure to confirm death in any circumstance in Scotland.
Guidance and supporting resources for practitioners
This resource contains the Confirmation of Death recording template (with link to enable you to download Word version), guidance to support healthcare practitioners completing the recording template, and frequently asked questions.
It is recommended that you download this resource to enable access to the embedded links.
Click here to access the document.
Click here to access a print-friendly version of the document.
Confirmation of Death Pocket card
A prompt card with reminder of the key checks required to confirm death.
Please cllick on the image to access the downloadable PDF.
Demonstration of the Confirmation of Death procedure in Scotland
This short film shows a practitioner undertaking the essential clinical examination procedure required to confirm death in Scotland. It also includes an outline of the responsibilities of the practitioner in relation to communication, documentation and referral.
A transcript of this video can be found here.