UK hospital mortuaries reach total capacity, dead bodies stored in refrigeration units

Hospital vehicles were seen delivering and collecting dead bodies from various hospitals near Salisbury, Wilts, The Sun reports. Multiple temporary morgues have been set up under 24-hour guard; two units are located at Royal Liverpool Hospital.

The makeshift morgues are typically inside 40ft shipping containers. Each one can hold about 35 bodies — these temporary holdings were last seen during the height of the pandemic when the daily death toll was at least 1,000 deaths.

Mortality rates showed that Christmas week was the deadliest in England and Wales in almost two years. More than 1,600 deaths were above the average count as the cold weather, surging flu infections and long waits for ambulances raised mortality rates by a fifth.

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine said, "If you can't get an ambulance to someone who's having a heart attack or a stroke, then some of those patients may die as a result."

They also claimed that the spike in deaths was undoubtedly linked to record delays in urgent care.

Regarding the two refrigeration units in Royal Liverpool Hospital, the Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said, "It is common practice for mortuaries to have purpose-built temporary systems available. Our mortuary service operates to the national standards treating the deceased and loved ones with dignity and respect at all times regardless of location. All our additional capacity provides privacy and has 24/7 security."

"This ensures that patients continue to be treated with dignity and respect, in facilities which are equivalent to a permanent mortuary, during periods of increased demand. Two of these systems, which meet standards set out by the Human Tissue Authority, have been deployed at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital," they added.

Staff overseeing the temporary morgues consist of round-the-clock security and workers that are under strict instructions to monitor the units, ensuring the temperature inside stays between 4C and 7C.

When asked to comment on this matter, both the NHS England and the Department of Health refused to give a statement.