Bodies in Nottingham NHS trust mortuary in state of ‘advanced deterioration’, inspectors say

Sarah and Jack Hawkins, the parents of Harriet Hawkins who was stillborn at Nottingham city hospital in 2016. A review questioned why Harriet’s body had decomposed so badly in the mortuary it had to be ‘triple-bagged’ for her funeral. Photograph: Jacob King/PA View image in fullscreen Sarah and Jack Hawkins, the parents of Harriet Hawkins who was stillborn at Nottingham city hospital in 2016. A review questioned why Harriet’s body had decomposed so badly in the mortuary it had to be ‘triple-bagged’ for her funeral. Photograph: Jacob King/PA Bodies in Nottingham NHS trust mortuary in state of ‘advanced deterioration’, inspectors say Human Tissue Authority says bodies not transferred to freezer in time due to insufficient storage needs Bodies in the mortuary at the NHS trust at the centre of the health services biggest ever maternity care scandal were found in a state of “advanced deterioration” due to not being transferred to a freezer in time, inspectors have said. Human Tissue Authority (HTA) inspectors who visited Nottingham university hospitals NHS trust in March discovered eight bodies in a state of advanced decomposition due to not being transferred to a freezer within a sufficient timeframe. The inspectors concluded that the trust, which is the subject of the NHS’s largest inquiry into maternity services, has “insufficient storage to meet the needs of the mortuary service”. 11:26 Hundreds of mothers and babies died or were harmed at ‘toxic’ NHS trust - The Latest Inspectors also found that identification wristbands were not always checked when bodies, which were kept in hermetically sealed bags due to their deterioration, were transferred to funeral services, increasing the risk of the wrong body being released to families. Problems with mortuary care at the trust emerged after the parents of Harriet Hawkins , who was stillborn at Nottingham city hospital in 2016, questioned why her body had decomposed so badly in the mortuary it had to be “triple-bagged” for her funeral. A review published on Wednesday , led by Donna Ockenden, an independent senior midwife, found that more than 500 mothers and babies died or were harmed at the “toxic” trust between 2012 and 2025 due to “systemic, deep-rooted” failures in maternity and neonatal care. Ockenden devoted 29 pages of her 400-page report to the Hawkinses’ experiences, arguing their case had many “hallmarks” of how the trust’s maternity units “cruelly” treated parents and babies. View image in fullscreen Midwife Donna Ockenden devoted 29 pages of her 400-page report to the Hawkinses’ experiences. Photograph: Jacob King/PA The chief executive of Nottingham University Hospitals trust, Anthony May, apologised on behalf of the trust after he was asked about the “lack of care” shown to bodies in its mortuary during the inspection in March. Commenting on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme , he said: “I will take responsibility and accountability for that, because you’re absolutely right, that happened on my