Family Campaigns for Mortuary Access Reform Following Son’s Death

Rachel Baker and her husband were informed by police officers of their son’s death and immediately requested to see his body, a request that was denied. Their son, Joe Baker, a 20-year-old Royal Navy engineer, passed away in a crash on 27 November 2023 as he was en route to his base in Yeovilton, Somerset. Mrs Baker, who resides in Hoptonheath on the Shropshire-Herefordshire border, is now advocating for alterations to mortuary regulations, stating that she and her husband were denied access to their son for 10 days because the facility was designated as a closed mortuary. The Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, responsible for the mortuary’s management, expressed its willingness to engage with the family regarding their experience. “We just wanted to see our boy,” Mrs Baker stated, adding that the family pleaded for access to Joe but was instructed to wait until his body was transferred to undertakers. She noted, “In our rural areas here, the mortuaries that have tiny provisions even provide a tiny curtain that they pull across.” She questioned, “If we can do that on our rural provisions why can’t that happen on a much bigger scale?” On 7 December 2023, she recounted that the family was finally able to “hold our boy.” Mrs Baker further stated, “I kissed his perfect face, held his hands and told him it was ‘all going to be OK, mum’s here, I’ve got you son’…how I adored every bone in his body.” Mrs Baker indicated that her advocacy for a legal change would serve as a tribute to her son’s life, whom she characterized as “a young lad that stood up and was accounted for what he believed in.” She additionally remarked, “[The] mortuary took time away from us and our Joe, that we simply can never get back. I want to make sure that going forward no other families are ever told ‘no’.” She also commented, “I understand that with every tragic accident, there are different circumstances…in Joe’s case, by the time we actually got him back, his face was perfect and there was no reason to have kept us away for the time that they had done.” The proposed ‘Joe’s law’ aims to ensure that direct family members are never denied access, provided they are “OK physically that is OK enough to be viewed.” The family has launched an online petition, seeking 1,500 signatures to bolster their campaign. A spokesperson for the NHS trust conveyed their condolences to the family for their loss, acknowledging the difficult period. They further stated their desire for the family to engage with their patient advice and liaison service to allow them to “understand their experience.” BBC Hereford & Worcester can be followed on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X, and Instagram. This content is copyrighted by BBC in 2024, with all rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding the BBC’s approach to external linking is available.