Bodies found in 'advanced deterioration' at under-fire trust

Bodies found in 'advanced deterioration' at under-fire trustImage source, PA MediaImage caption, NUH, which runs the Queen's Medical Centre, said it was "truly sorry" for not meeting the standards expected of itByEleanor Lawrie & Michael BuchananSocial AffairsPublished6 minutes agoEight bodies have been found in a state of "advanced deterioration" in the mortuary of an NHS trust, after hospitals ran out of freezer space.An inspection of the Queen's Medical Centre (QMC) in Nottingham by the regulator, the Human Tissue Authority, also found insufficient identity checks meant there was a risk of the wrong bodies being released to families.Mortuary care at the Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS trust, which runs the QMC, was strongly criticised by independent review chair Donna Ockenden on Wednesday when she revealed hundreds of local families had experienced poor maternity care.The trust said it was "truly sorry" for not meeting the standards expected of it.Separately, two men have been bailed after being arrested in connection with operating practices at the mortuary service.The arrests were made on suspicion of misconduct in a public office as part of Operation Perth, a police investigation which began in 2023 following failings that led to hundreds of babies dying or being injured.Operation Perth discovered breaches of regulations of the Human Tissue Act in relation to the management and operating practices of the mortuary services.Image source, Jacob King/PA WireImage caption, The review chaired by Donna Ockenden found evidence of recurring examples of failure to protect the dignity of the deceasedProblems with after-death care came to light after the parents of Harriet Hawkins, who was stillborn at NUH in 2016, discovered her body had been allowed to decompose so badly that it had to be triple-bagged for her funeral.A subsequent investigation found 17 areas of concern and prompted an examination by the i...