Can I see my dads post mortem notes?

[houmousandcarrotsandwich]

I will try & be brief (!) ....

Ok my dad died 4 years ago, very suddenly. He was on holiday at the time, so took a while to get him back to uk. Then had to have a 2nd post mortem, as previous one in maderia was inconclusive & needed a cause of death for death certificate etc.
The results of post mortem was that he died from intestinal haemmorage.
I have never really understood this, as dad was asymptomatic to my knowledge & no previous history.

I am currently battling with depression, & after talking about things, have realised I am still not at peace with my dads death. I think having more understanding may help me.

So, does anyone know if I am able to request the details of his post ? I wasn't his next of kin (my mum was), does that make a difference?
Also, if I can have this information, where do I get it from.

I am sorry to hear about your father. The first thing to say is that I think only your mother can request your father's post-mortem or medical notes, for obvious reasons. There may be things that your father chose not to share with you and that ought to be respected.

Secondly, post-mortem records are hard to read, in both senses. Emotionally, the clinical detachment is hard to take and frankly very difficult to read. Secondly, they are written in technical language, which can be opaque and hedged with caveats. You will not find the neat explanation you might hope.

With your mother's consent your father's GP might be willing to talk to you, but he or she might not because it is an intrusion on your father's privacy.

Why do you think more medical information might help you?

Thanks for your reply jb.

I just think I need to try & make sense of it all, at least to say I have tried may even help. I am medically trained myself (although not in human medicine) so would have some understanding of the jargon.

My mother doesn't talk of my fathers death, has no idea how I'm feeling at the moment or that I'm on anti depressants. It's not just his death that has brought me down, but I feel it is one area I now feel ready to tackle.