The HTA licensing standards on premises, facilities and equipment aim to ensure that there are appropriate facilities for the storage of bodies and human tissue.
PFE2(b): There is sufficient capacity for storage of bodies, organs, and tissue samples, which takes into account predicted peaks of activity.
PFE2(c): Storage for long-term storage of bodies and bariatric bodies is sufficient to meet needs.
We require establishments licensed in the Post Mortem sector to notify the HTA of serious incidents and near-miss incidents that may affect the dignity of the deceased and damage public confidence. Establishments must notify the HTA of incidents or near-miss incidents within five working days of the incident occurring or being discovered.
For some purposes, including post mortem examinations, appropriate consent can be given by someone in a ‘qualifying relationship’ to the deceased immediately before their death. Please see further details in the Codes of Practice for each sector.
Those in a qualifying relationship to the deceased person are (highest first):
Our Chief Executive Allan Marriott-Smith takes a look back over the last decade of the HTA.
I’m sure I’m not alone in the thinking that coming to the end of another decade has relatively few highlights. I can say for certain that in January 2020 I’m older, greyer and wrinklier than in 2010, and my knees have seen better days.
On December 1 2015, Wales became the first country in the UK to implement a ‘soft opt-out’ system for organ donation. Earlier this year we learnt that this has significantly increased consent rates for deceased donation when compared with England. At the time of the law change consent rates in Wales were the lowest in the UK (less than 50%). Now they are the highest by some distance (77% compared with 67% for the rest of the UK).
The HTA has produced a model consent form for professionals seeking consent for an adult or child's post mortem.
Our Head of Communications Mat Silk explains how the little things can be so important when dealing with human tissue and remains.
The definition of relevant material in the Act is:
Section 53: Relevant material:
