Inspectors have warned bodies of the recently deceased have been left to decompose inside NHS hospital mortuaries.
A new report from the Human Tissue Authority (HTA) has found that NHS trusts were not always adhering to the rules around keeping bodies.
The official HTA guidance says that bodies should be moved into frozen storage after 30 days in refrigerators, or before then depending on the condition of the body.
However, inspectors from the independent regulator have found that rules were not always being followed due to a lack of resources.
Royal Blackburn Hospital
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The Health Service Journal (HSJ), which first reported on the issue, said it had found at least 10 cases across the country since 2022 where inspectors discovered one or more bodies had started to deteriorate.
Inspectors found major flows at the Royal Blackburn Hospital in 2022, including "two bodies in an advanced state of decomposition" after they weren't moved into freezers soon enough.
Meanwhile, at King's College Hospital in London, inspectors reported "critical" shortfalls in 2022 with mouldy and infested conditions for the body storage.
In 2022, an inspection at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford found inadequate storage space and "a number of bodies which had been held in refrigerated storage longer than the recommended 30 days which were beginning to show signs of deterioration."
The Royal Bolton Hospital said it had increased capacity after inspectors there “identified a body that had been in refrigerated storage for 84 days."
Royal Bolton Hospital
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An inspection at Leeds General Infirmary last year found that: "The inspection team noted a body that had been in storage for 70 days that had not been placed into frozen storage despite being released by the coroner.
"This body showed signs of decomposition and had soiled shrouding.
"A second body had been in storage for 47 days, had also been the subject of a coroner's release notification and had not been placed into frozen storage and showed signs of decomposition."
Inspectors also found there was no cleaning schedule for the body store at the hospital.
Leeds General Infirmary
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A spokeswoman for the HTA said: “The management of the deceased in some licensed mortuaries was identified as a concern through the HTA on-site inspection process.
"The deceased should be stored at temperatures that preserve their condition and there should be sufficient storage provision and alternatives in place if needed.
"We expect all licensed establishments to be compliant with our standards and ensure the dignity of the deceased is maintained.
"When we find shortfalls we work with establishments to ensure an action plan for improvement is put in place, lessons are learnt and the issue is escalated within the establishment where necessary."
Several hospitals have been identified has leaving bodies for too long
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Chief medical officer at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Dr Magnus Harrison said: "Our aim is to provide a safe and dignified service in our mortuaries for people who have died, and unfortunately in this instance, this was not the case.
"We now have improved systems in place including better communication with our coroner and respective partners to ensure this doesn’t happen again. Duty of Candour procedures are followed when next of kin information is available."
A spokeswoman for King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: "Following an inspection report in 2022 by the HTA, we have significantly increased the size of our mortuary provision."
An Oxford University Hospitals spokeswoman said: "We take great care to ensure that our patients are always treated with compassion and dignity, including after death.
"Some deterioration of the deceased is expected in refrigerated storage, even for short periods, and would not normally fulfil criteria for notification under duty of candour guidance."
A OUH spokesperson said it has recently refurbished and expanded its capacity
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The spokeswoman continued: "Freezing itself affects the appearance of a body, and therefore tends to be avoided when the deceased is likely to be moving to a funeral director’s care in the very near future.
"The OUH mortuary has recently been refurbished and expanded to increase its capacity in the context of rising regional and national demand for mortuary facilities."
