'Serious security breach' at hospital's mortuary

A patient was arrested after the mortuary was broken into

Security has been increased at a hospital’s mortuary after a patient was able to break in through a locked door.

No cold storage units or human remains were accessed in what has been classed as a "serious security breach" at Southmead Hospital in Bristol.

The incident, which happened in February, was discussed at a North Bristol Trust board meeting on 30 May, during which it was confirmed an investigation had been launched and since closed.

“An incident occurred when an NHS patient with complex care needs was able to temporarily gain entry to areas within the mortuary facility after forcing doors that were locked," a trust spokesperson said.

“Through detailed CCTV monitoring we can confirm that at no point were any refrigerated or frozen storage units holding human tissue breached and, as such, we can give an absolute assurance that no remains were accessed at any time."

A patient was arrested shortly after gaining entry, North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) said.

Hospital bosses have now 'enhanced measures' to boost the mortuary's security

The trust, which runs the hospital, said it has taken steps to prevent a repeat incident.

“In response we have significantly increased both the strength and number of locked doors that protect the mortuary and have put in place additional measures to ensure each area of the mortuary can be secured independently of any other – so a breach in one will not affect another," the spokesperson added.

“Finally, we have introduced enhanced measures to increase the speed at which our on-site security teams are able to respond to alerts in or near the mortuary.”

An investigation was launched by the Human Tissue Authority (HTA), a Department of Health and Social Care quango, and has since been closed. The authority's report will be published next month.

'Corrective actions'

Chief executive Maria Kane’s report to NBT's board meeting confirmed the "incident has been classified as a HTA "Reportable Incident and categorised as a serious security breach".

“The HTA has acknowledged the evidence submitted and all of the corrective actions and mitigations that have taken place and has now closed the incident," she added.

Giving a verbal update to the board, Ms Kane said: “There has been learning from that, clearly, and we will continue to monitor that and have put in place additional contract expectations from our providers.”