The mortuary services at Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham were subject to fierce criticism with remains at risk of being sent to the wrong families, a report found
Eight bodies were discovered in a state of “advanced deterioration” at a hospital mortuary, with remains at risk of being sent to the wrong families. During an inspection of the Queen’s Medical Centre, operated by Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH), the Human Tissue Authority (HTA) revealed serious deficiencies.
The trust has apologised to those affected by the shortcomings and confirmed that a plan of action has been implemented. The mortuary services came under severe scrutiny in an independent report on maternity services released on Wednesday, June 24.
This report investigated over 2,500 cases of deceased and harmed mothers and babies at the trust. Senior midwife Donna Ockenden’s distressing review underscored the shocking lack of dignity and respect demonstrated by hospital staff in the city. In one instance, lab workers disposed of a deceased baby, mistaking it for clinical waste.
This horrifying mistake in 2019 led to a “complete loss of dignity” for the very early gestation girl and caused immense grief for her parents, according to the lengthy and upsetting report, reports Nottinghamshire Live.
In another horrific incident in 2016, a porter placed a baby’s body in the same mortuary space as an unrelated adult. The family was not informed of this until 2026, the review discovered.
Addressing NUH leaders during a board meeting on Thursday, she labelled the failings as “utterly shameful”, adding: “You let people down when they were born and we mustn’t forget you let people down when they died.”
On Tuesday (Wednesday, June 23), Nottinghamshire Police arrested two men in relation to the operation of mortuary services as part of Operation Perth, their extensive investigation into maternity services.
The force stated that it pertained to alleged violations of the Human Tissue Act, which governs activities related to the removal, storage, use and disposal of human tissue. The individuals have since been released on bail.
During an unexpected inspection by the HTA conducted on March 11 and 12, the regulator identified three critical and six major deficiencies throughout the service.
The visit revealed a routine practice of storing bodies in a refrigerated area due to a shortage of freezers, which had a “detrimental effect on the condition and dignity of the deceased”.
In an audit, the inspection team pinpointed eight bodies that were exhibiting “advanced deterioration”.
They discovered that identification wristbands weren’t always verified when transferring bodies to funeral services, heightening the risk of incorrect remains being delivered to families.
Incidents, including near misses, weren’t reported to the HTA as per the report, which stated that only 73 out of 145 internally logged incidents were forwarded to the regulator despite meeting the criteria.
NUH chief executive Anthony May offered his apologies to anyone impacted by the shortcomings and confirmed that some of the problems had already been tackled.
“We need to treat people with respect and dignity after they’ve died as we do in life,” he stated.
“Donna described it this morning as shameful and I feel a certain element of professional and personal shame that it happened on my watch.”
Worries were initially flagged about mortuary standards by Sarah and Dr Jack Hawkins, whose daughter Harriet was permitted to decompose following her stillbirth in 2016.
Mr May revealed that an independent review had been ordered, alongside a broader examination prior to the HTA inspection.
“All of that has gone into a consolidated action plan. We’ve already responded to the things the HTA found in March and that action plan will also have an element of independent oversight so local people can be assured that we’re going to fix these things,” he explained.
“We’ve already fixed some of them and we’re going to do it quickly so that people can rely on those services and we do treat people with the respect and dignity that they deserve.”