Human Tissue Authority (HTA) inspectors discovered that a dead body in an NHS hospital's mortuary was visible from a public footpath due to staff leaving a fire door propped open during a heatwave. The incident occurred at Worthing Hospital in West Sussex on July 7 and 8.
According to the inspectors' report, the fire exit door was "frequently opened" during hot weather, granting "unrestricted access" to the body store. This created a "direct line of sight from a publicly accessible footpath" to the mortuary. During their visit, inspectors observed "a body being prepared for release" from this vantage point.
The report also highlighted issues with surveillance, noting that live CCTV footage of viewing tables at Worthing and the interior of body storage fridges at St Richard's Hospital was visible on monitors in the security office. However, the camera monitoring the mortuary office fire exit door at Worthing Hospital was not operational.
Further concerns were raised regarding the risk of bereaved families being shown the wrong body. Inspectors found that staff were not consistently adhering to standard procedures, with three identifying factors not being routinely checked against details provided by families. This practice posed "a risk of bereaved families viewing the wrong body," and records did not confirm if staff conducting viewings had received appropriate training or assessment.
Other significant failings included seven bodies at Worthing and the Royal Sussex hospitals being stored in refrigerated units for over 30 days and showing signs of deterioration. Additionally, fridges and freezers at the Royal Sussex and Princess Royal hospitals lacked backup power supplies, leaving them vulnerable in the event of a power outage.
Tissue was also found to be stored with incomplete consent records, hindering the Trust's ability to adequately prove consent under the Human Tissue Act. In total, HTA officials identified 10 major and six minor shortfalls of HTA standards across Worthing Hospital and its satellite sites – St Richard's in Chichester and the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton – all operated by University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust.
A spokesperson for University Hospitals Sussex stated that the dignity, security, privacy, and respectful care of deceased individuals are paramount. The Trust emphasized that they take the HTA's findings seriously and that the vast majority of identified issues have already been addressed. This includes immediate improvements to security and privacy, physical environment changes, and the initiation of a broader program to enhance mortuary facilities across all hospital sites.
The Human Tissue Authority has not suspended or revoked the Trust's license, and the Trust is continuing to collaborate with the regulator to uphold the highest standards of care. The inspection findings follow heightened scrutiny of mortuary security in the wake of the David Fuller scandal, where Fuller abused at least 100 deceased women and girls in hospital mortuaries in south-east England. Following that case, NHS Trusts were mandated to ensure all access points to mortuaries and body stores are secured by swipe card systems and equipped with effective CCTV monitoring.