P2-1 Response Accepted in Part AI-assessed

NHS trusts commission specialist security review

Recommendation

All NHS trusts with mortuaries and/or body stores should commission a specialist strategic review of the systems in place to protect deceased people, which should include a detailed risk assessment of the potential breaches of security that could occur. The review should include an assessment of: the systems in place to identify any unauthorised access to the facility; the strength and effectiveness of barriers to prevent unauthorised access to the facilities; the systems in place to identify any access to deceased people for unauthorised purposes; and how CCTV is used, including its monitoring and any audits undertaken.

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
According to the Government Interim Update of December 2025, NHS England has accepted this recommendation in principle and is currently working with NHS trusts to develop guidance on security reviews for mortuaries and body stores. According to the same update, further work is underway to determine the implementation approach and necessary resources.
How was this assessed?
Assessed by gemini-2.5-flash on 19 Mar 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
External sources searched: www.gov.uk, questions-statements.parliament.uk, www.legislation.gov.uk, hansard.parliament.uk
This recommendation requires implementation across many organisations. The assessment reflects central policy response, not adoption in individual organisations.
Jurisdiction
England
Response
Accepted in Part
Accepted in Part NHS England
01 Dec 2025

The Government has agreed to accept in principle this recommendation subject to further work to determine its full impact.

Progress Timeline
Official Report
01 Dec 2025

Accepted in principle. The government has agreed to accept in principle this recommendation subject to further work to determine the full impact. The government will continue to work on its response to the recommendations and provide a full response to the Fuller inquiry phase 2 report by summer 2026. (Source: Interim update on government progress in responding to the Fuller inquiry phase 2 report, December 2025)

Source
Inquiry Fuller Inquiry
Report Fuller Inquiry Phase 2 Report 15 Jul 2025
View Source
Responsible Bodies
NHS England Primary
Themes & Tags
Patient dignity and privacy Quality and safety oversight Mortuary Security Review Risk Assessment NHS
Recommendation age 0.7 yr
Last formal update 01 Dec 2025