West Sussex mortuaries under scrutiny

A special task force has been set up by West Sussex County Council's community services committee 15, to examine the future of county mortuary services.

One issue to be probed will be how West Sussex would cope with a major emergency which resulted in large numbers of fatalities.

Cllr Peter Evans, county cabinet member for public protection, said a number of the county's mortuaries, controlled by the primary care trusts, were ageing.

"We need to make decisions now on what to do for the next ten years," he told the select committee. "I will welcome the results of the task force, to enable me to make decisions on the way forward."

One thing that needed to be nailed down was provision for mass fatalities '“ how the county council reacted, and how bodies would be stored.

A report presented at the meeting said there was concern about the current practice of some storage taking place outside West Sussex at East Surrey Hospital, rather than Crawley Hospital, where facilities were no longer of a sufficiently high standard.

"There is also a need to review whether current provision is sustainable in the long term, and whether there is sufficient capacity in emergency situations," it added.

The task force would explore the options for provision, and make recommendations.

Options could include purpose-built facilities in the county, consideration of appropriate locations and capacity, and accessibility in an emergency situation.

The task force is due to report back to the select committee in February next year, with proposals for the cabinet member on the future of mortuary services.

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