Donating your body to a medical school is a valuable gift. Your donation will become an important resource for training healthcare professionals or for research.
The Human Tissue Authority (HTA) licenses and inspects organisations that collect or receive bodies or other human material. Under the Human Tissue Act 2004, written and witnessed consent for anatomical examination must be given prior to death. Consent cannot be given by anyone else after your death.
People living in Scotland can find more information about body donation on the Scottish government website.
Anyone can decide to donate their body, and medical schools welcome the offer of a donation.
To donate your body, we recommend the follow steps:
- Discuss your wishes with family and friends
- Contact your nearest medical school for further information
- Complete the consent form they provide
- Keep a copy of the form with your will
- Tell your family, close friends, executor and doctor of your intention to donate
Medical schools which accept donated bodies will normally only accept donations from within their local area due to the transport costs involved.
Offers of body donation from outside the area may be accepted on the condition that the donor’s estate bears the cost of transporting the body. Full details can be obtained directly from the medical schools.
Use the list below to find your nearest medical school. You can filter the list by entering the first two letters of your post-code. Click on the individual medical school to find more information.