Worcester Royal using car park fridges to store bodies is deemed “unsuitable” by inspectors

WORCESTERSHIRE Royal Hospital has been criticised by regulators after inspectors found human bodies were being stored in outdoor fridge units in a car park.

The Human Tissue Authority (HTA), which regulates mortuary services, carried out an unannounced inspection of the hospital in May and issued five major and four minor shortfalls against national standards.

Inspectors raised concerns that the location and access arrangements of the external fridge bank in the car park did not sufficiently safeguard the “dignity of the deceased”.

They concluded that “under the current set up, the use of this area for body storage is deemed unsuitable.” Staff were advised not to use two of the fridge units, as the pods had had failed Health and Safety risk assessments due to uneven ground in the loading bay.

Despite this advisory, they were left powered on and used “when necessary” – posing a risk of accidental damage to bodies.

The report also highlighted further serious failings including not obtaining formal confirmation when babies were transferred to other hospitals for post-mortem examinations, risking a loss of audit trail.

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Out-of-hours CCTV coverage was also branded “insufficient”, with “a significant risk of a serious security breach” being found at the Alexandra Hospital.

Other issues included out-of-date mortuary procedures and risk assessments, poorly structured governance meetings, and maintenance problems such as unclean fridges, damaged flooring and a leaking ceiling at Alexandra Hospital.

Although the hospital was deemed suitable to continue operating under its licence, this is conditional on urgent corrective and preventative action.

The HTA gave the Trust 14 days to submit a detailed action plan addressing the failings. The HTA report was issued in July.

The report also advised the hospital to explore alternatives to the outdoor fridge bank, improve maternity protocols for body identification and release, reinstate staff consent training, and take steps to make mortuary viewing suites more comfortable for grieving families.

A statement from the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, sent to the BBC, said the fridges were not located in a public car park.

In a statement reported by the BBC, a Worcestershire Royal Hospital spokesperson said: “A temporary specialist additional body store facility was commissioned as part of the trust’s response to the Covid pandemic.

“With the demand on mortuary services continuing to grow, this facility has been maintained to provide the additional capacity and resilience required to deliver a safe and effective service if needed.

“While the facility is separate from the mortuary building, it is adjacent, in an area that has been converted from a small, barrier-controlled and non-public car park. Access is controlled and monitored by CCTV to ensure security.

“Additionally, it is important that all our facilities provide the necessary dignity and respect required.

“We are committed to providing empathetic and dignified care to our patients and families and are pleased that in its latest inspection the HTA found we were meeting the majority of standards.”

A follow-up inspection will be carried out at the hospital in due course.