Prepare Mrs Hollis for viewing

You are a mortuary assistant working under the Mortuary Manager.

Simulated workplaceIntermediate missionCAQA Everlasting Funeral Services

This mission touches on a mature theme. It is fictional. If it brings up something hard for you, you can stop at any time and talk to someone you trust.

What is going on

Margaret Hollis, aged 79, is in care at the Bayswater mortuary for a family viewing on Sunday afternoon at Ringwood and a burial on Monday. Priyanka Sharma completed the arterial embalming this morning and has asked you to complete the cleansing, dressing, cosmetics and encoffining with Chloe Brennan. The family have supplied a blue dress, a cardigan and reading glasses, and have asked that the wedding ring stay on. The arrangement record shows a lawn burial in a mid-range timber coffin. A splash exposure occurred in the theatre last week, so the Mortuary Manager wants every step of PPE and cleaning done by the book and recorded.

Priyanka Sharma, Mortuary Manager and Senior Embalmer
Subject: Preparing Mrs Hollis for Sunday's viewing

Margaret Hollis is to be embalmed, dressed and encoffined for a family viewing on Sunday afternoon at Ringwood. I have completed the arterial embalming this morning. I need you to work through the remaining preparation with Chloe, following the infection control policy and the care of the deceased policy. The family have supplied a blue dress, a cardigan and her reading glasses, and the wedding ring is to stay on. Update the mortuary care register at each stage and complete the coffin plate check against the arrangement record before you encoffin.

Your brief

Complete the preparation of Mrs Hollis to viewing standard, applying the infection control and care of the deceased policies at every step, record each stage in the mortuary care register, and leave the theatre, equipment and records in the condition the next case requires.

Work through it

You do not need to do it all. Doing a few of these will show you what the work is like. Your ticks and notes stay on this device.

Read the infection control policy and the care and identification of the deceased policy, and set out the PPE you will wear for each stage of the preparation.
Check the mortuary care register and the arrangement record, confirm the identification tag against both, and confirm the dress, effects and viewing instructions before you begin.
Cleanse and disinfect the deceased, set the features and close the eyes and mouth as trained, and record the care given in the mortuary care register.
Dress Mrs Hollis in the clothing supplied, apply cosmetics to a natural viewing standard, place the glasses as the family requested and confirm the ring remains in place.
Check the coffin plate against the arrangement record letter by letter with Chloe, encoffin the deceased, and update the register status to Encoffined with both names.
Clean and disinfect the table, trolley and instruments, run the steriliser cycle and record it, and segregate waste and linen into the correct containers.
Check the cool room temperature log for the day and the chemical register entries for the products you used, and report any gap to the Mortuary Manager.
Write a handover note for the funeral director conducting the viewing, including anything the family will notice and how you have presented the deceased.

My notes: what did I enjoy, and what surprised me?

What someone in this role would produce

Mortuary care register entries for each stage with names
Coffin plate check record signed by two people
Sterilisation log and cleaning record for the theatre
Handover note to the funeral director

Printing this is a record of what you explored. It is not a certificate or a qualification.