P2-18 Response Accepted in Part AI-assessed

Mortuaries treated as regulated activity in governance

Recommendation

Trust boards should take note of the fact that mortuary services are subject to statutory regulation and should be treated with equivalent regard to other regulated activities within trust governance arrangements.

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 working to emphasise the statutory regulatory status of mortuary services within its governance guidance. This aims to ensure mortuaries are treated with equivalent regard to other regulated activities, as reported.
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 asks for cultural or behavioural change, which is difficult to verify objectively. The assessment is based on policy commitments, not measured outcomes.
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
Weak Government Accountability & Scrutiny Quality and safety oversight Regulation Governance Hta Boards
Recommendation age 0.7 yr
Last formal update 01 Dec 2025