Concerns Emerge Over Mortuary Practices at Nottingham Hospitals
An inspection by the Human Tissue Authority (HTA) at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust has uncovered significant issues within its mortuary services, including the discovery of eight bodies in an "advanced state of deterioration." This situation arose partly due to a shortage of freezer capacity at the Queen's Medical Centre (QMC) in Nottingham.
The regulator's findings also highlighted inadequate identity verification processes, raising the risk of incorrect bodies being released to grieving families. These revelations come in the wake of broader criticisms against NUH's maternity care, detailed in an independent review chaired by Donna Ockenden, which exposed poor care experiences for hundreds of local families.
Investigation Uncovers Breaches and Arrests
The trust has publicly apologized, stating it is "truly sorry" for failing to meet expected standards. Separately, two individuals have been arrested and bailed on suspicion of misconduct in public office, as part of 'Operation Perth.' This police investigation, initiated in 2023, stemmed from earlier failures that led to numerous infant deaths and injuries, and has since identified breaches of the Human Tissue Act related to mortuary management.
The Review found evidence of recurring examples of failure to protect the dignity of the deceased… including inadequate arrangements for undertaking paediatric post-mortems.
Problems with post-death care first gained public attention after the parents of Harriet Hawkins, a baby stillborn at NUH in 2016, learned that her body had decomposed to such an extent that it required triple-bagging for her funeral. This incident triggered a broader investigation into after-death care for 16 other infants and one mother.
Specific Findings and Trust Response
The independent maternity review detailed several disturbing incidents, including the disposal of an early gestation baby as clinical waste, the misidentification of a baby given to funeral directors, and a mother whose body deteriorated so severely that her family was advised against viewing her before the funeral.
The HTA's unannounced inspection identified three critical, six major, and one minor shortfall across QMC and City Hospital. A key issue was the lack of freezer space, forcing some bodies into refrigerated areas, leading to the advanced deterioration of eight bodies not transferred to freezers in time. Furthermore, some infant post-mortem examinations were conducted in inadequately ventilated labs by staff untrained in mortuary care.
An accompanying audit indicated that over half of 145 recorded incidents that should have been reported to the regulator were not. While the HTA noted that QMC met most of its standards and improvements have been made since the March 2023 inspection (recently made public), NUH Chief Executive Anthony May expressed disappointment and confirmed an action plan is now in place. Manjeet Shehmar, Medical Director at NUH, reiterated the trust's apology and commitment to addressing the concerns raised by the HTA.
Source: Bodies found in 'advanced deterioration' at under-fire trust