Review of guidance: Dignity and care of the deceased

Ensuring the dignity of deceased people is of great importance to the individual and their family and friends, as well as across wider society, including different cultures and faiths. Considerate practices enable us to show our respect for loved ones, honouring the grieving process and demonstrating our collective responsibility at a time of loss.

The HTA's primary purpose is to regulate organisations that remove, store and use human tissue for purposes including post-mortem examination, education and training, and medical treatment. One of our guiding principles, in line with the Human Tissue Act 2024, is that dignity should be paramount in the treatment of human tissue and bodies.

For organisations outside of the HTA's regulatory remit, a similar principles-based approach may be appropriate when caring for deceased people. Our guidance sets out good practice principles for all those responsible for the dignity and care of the deceased, across regulated and unregulated settings alike.

We are reviewing this guidance and we would like to hear from anyone with a professional role in settings where the deceased are cared for.

All settings where deceased people are managed and cared for should consider how their practices ensure dignity and are respectful of diverse cultural and religious observances. 

We want to understand how the guidance is used in practice and whether it continues to meet the needs of those working in this field. The engagement takes the form of a short, practical questionnaire and should take around 5-10 minutes to complete.

If you work with or represent others who may wish to contribute, we would be very grateful if you could share this notice with relevant contacts, networks or forums.

To take part, please complete our short questionnaire by 12 June 2026.