P2-48 Response Accepted in Part AI-assessed

Local authority annual SOP and HTA audits

Recommendation

There must be audits of the mortuary Standard Operating Procedures and compliance with Human Tissue Authority requirements, undertaken annually as a minimum, with a clear record of authorisation by the Designated Individual, head of service or equivalent. Audits of staff compliance with the Standard Operating Procedures must be undertaken at least annually, with the results of the audits reported to the Designated Individual and head of service or equivalent.

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
According to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, it accepted this recommendation in principle on 1 December 2025 and stated it was developing audit requirements for local authority mortuaries. However, no specific published requirements or guidance for annual audits of mortuary Standard Operating Procedures, Human Tissue Authority compliance, or staff compliance in local authority mortuaries has been identified in the provided official sources.
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 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Primary
Themes & Tags
Patient dignity and privacy Care safeguarding systems Hta Sops Audits Local Authority
Recommendation age 0.7 yr
Last formal update 01 Dec 2025