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
Source — 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
Publicly available evidence relating to this recommendation:
- The dashboard states that Ten Second Triage has been introduced for use by first responders, including visible identifiers such as triage labels, though there is no triage label for deceased casualties — triage of casualties as deceased will only be performed by healthcare responders (Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, Cabinet Office, February 2026).
Response — verbatim from government
●UK Government
The Home Secretary made a written statement to Parliament on 3 November 2022 following publication of Volume 2, acknowledging the findings on emergency response failures and stating the government would work with emergency services to implement improvements. The response committed to reviewing interoperability arrangements between emergency services and strengthening joint training and exercising protocols for major incidents.
UK Government · 3 Nov 2022 Written response →
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
- 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. Source →
- 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. Source →
- 14 Nov 2025 · Cabinet Office Government published formal Manchester Arena Inquiry recommendations dashboard on GOV.UK (14 November 2025) tracking all 149 recommendations with implementation progress updates. View source → Reasonable Progress
- 3 Apr 2025 · UK Parliament Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 received Royal Assent 3 April 2025. Creates two tiers: Standard Duty (200-799 capacity) and Enhanced Duty (800+). SIA will be regulator. Not yet in force -- at least 24 months before enforcement (expected April 2027). View source → Reasonable Progress
- 5 Jun 2023 · National Police Chiefs Council NPCC, Counter Terrorism Policing and College of Policing provided comprehensive updates to Sir John Saunders demonstrating "continued drive to improve collective response to terrorist incidents." View source → Reasonable Progress
Each entry above links to a primary source — gov.uk written statement, consultation response document, or inspection report. The Index does not characterise government intent; it tracks what has been published.
How this page is built
Source and Response are verbatim from primary documents. The Evidence trail records published activity since — written statements, consultation outcomes, inspection findings, parliamentary references. The Index does not paraphrase or characterise intent; it tracks what has been published. Where the evidence is the absence of action (a missed deadline, a slipped timetable), that absence is documented from primary sources rather than inferred.
This recommendation's data is verified periodically against primary sources. The Index is monitored for staleness weekly.