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Gravesend woman disgusted over time it's taken to register ex-husband's death

Michael Pratt’s body has been sitting in Darent Valley Hospital’s morgue for more than four months and his death is yet to be registered.

Mr Pratt’s ex-wife Rita Marsh, 68, has expressed her anger at how long it is taking the hospital to cremate his body and fill in all the required paper work.

Miss Marsh, who lives in Pickwick House, Deneholm Road, Northfleet, the same address Mr Pratt resided at but in a different flat, is unofficially his next of kin.

She opted for Mr Pratt to have a contract funeral which involves the NHS taking control of it.

A contract funeral is used when there are no official next of kin to pay for a funeral. The hospital has no time frame in carrying out the funeral or registering the death of someone.

Darent Valley Hospital said without an official next of kin the hospital has to arrange the funeral arrangements which can take time.

Miss Marsh said: “I think it’s disgusting.

“He lived in a council flat.

“All the keys have gone back to the council.

“Somebody is going to be in that flat before he is cremated.

“Nobody deserves to wait four months.

“They keep saying to me they have so many funerals to do.

“I feel they should get their finger out, they keep saying to me they will ring me when they have more information but they never do.

“Their excuse is not to worry about it.”

Miss Marsh married Mr Pratt in 1984, after they met at a country western dance in Milton Road, Gravesend, and then got divorced from him in 2006, but stayed close friends, found him collapsed in his flat in January.

After being rushed to hospital, the man, in his mid 80s, died on Tuesday, January 16, due to pneumonia and heart problems.

Darent Valley Hospital Spokesman, Glyn Oakley, said: “At the hospital we do our best to help and support friends and relatives as much as possible when their loved ones have passed away.

“However, if there is no next of kin identified at the time of death, we allow a period of time to see if one does come forward.

“Without a next of kin the hospital has to undertake and pay for the funeral arrangements itself which can take time to arrange.

“The death has now been registered and the funeral is being arranged.”

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