Guidance on covering deceased at mass casualty scenes
Manchester Arena Inquiry · Manchester Arena Inquiry: Volume 2: Emergency Response · Issued 3 November 2022 · Addressed to: National Ambulance Resilience Unit, Department of Health and Social Care
Government responseUK Government: Accepted (Nov 2025)
DeliveryCabinet Office says in progress (Feb 2026)
Recommendation, verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
Guidance should be provided to event healthcare providers, to emergency service responders other than paramedics and to the public generally about the circumstances in which those who are believed to be dead should be covered. The guidance should make clear that this step should only be taken by a paramedic or other healthcare professional. The guidance should also make clear that paramedics at the scene of a mass casualty incident should inform others present that only healthcare professionals should cover those believed to be dead. The Department of Health and Social Care and the National Ambulance Resilience Unit should provide guidance addressing this important issue.
Manchester Arena Inquiry, Manchester Arena Inquiry: Volume 2: Emergency Response · 3 Nov 2022 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
AI-generated evidence summary
In February 2026, the Cabinet Office reported that work remained in progress, noting that Ten Second Triage had been introduced for first responders at major incident scenes (Cabinet Office, Feb 2026). In that February 2026 update, the department stated that labels identify casualties as not breathing rather than deceased, noting that "Triage of casualties as deceased will only be performed by healthcare responders" (Cabinet Office, Feb 2026). The UK Government had accepted the recommendation in full in November 2025 (Cabinet Office response, Nov 2025).
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026.
About this summary
Government response
●UK Government · Accepted · 14 Nov 2025
Accepted in full
Response document: Manchester Arena Inquiry recommendations (GOV.UK page linking to the Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard)
Delivery
●Cabinet Office says in progress · 27 Feb 2026
Ten Second Triage, which has been introduced for use by first responders at the scene of a major incident, includes appropriate visible identifiers, such as a triage label. These should to be placed on casualties who can be described as 'not breathing'. There is no triage label to describe a casualty as 'deceased/dead'. Being triaged as 'not breathing' would either prompt the placing of a casualty in the recovery position or indicate resuscitation should commence, depending on the circumstances, until further triage by a healthcare professional. Triage of casualties as deceased will only be performed by healthcare responders.
Earlier statements on delivery (0)
●Cabinet Office · 14 Nov 2025
Ten Second Triage, which has been introduced for use by first responders at the scene of a major incident, includes appropriate visible identifiers, such as a triage label. These should to be placed on casualties who can be described as 'not breathing'. There is no triage label to describe a casualty as 'deceased/dead'. Being triaged as 'not breathing' would either prompt the placing of a casualty in the recovery position or indicate resuscitation should commence, depending on the circumstances, until further triage by a healthcare professional. Triage of casualties as deceased will only be performed by healthcare responders.
From: Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, original version (data file)
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