A mortuary in central London is set to receive a £2.8million refurbishment following complaints of trolley wheels getting stuck in “gulleys” used to drain human blood and fluids.
Logan Construction and LEEC have been contracted to make Westminster Public Mortuary on Regency Place “fit for purpose”, a report by Westminster City Council shows.
The venue, which is used by Westminster City and Kensington and Chelsea Council, is currently having new body stores, freezers and post-mortem tables installed. A report by Westminster City said drainage gulleys had to be relocated “to prevent trolley wheels getting stuck” and to resolve issues with the levels within the “wet” spaces.
The report continues: “Drainage layouts have subsequently had to change to ensure each station has the correct drainage. This requires breaking out and relaying of the floor screed to falls which is labour intensive and expensive.”
Westminster City Council is expected to fork out 58.7% – or £1.66m – of the cost with Kensington and Chelsea Council covering the rest. Additional costs associated with extensive design developments, hiring contractors and purchasing new mortuary equipment have seen the project’s price tag rise by £1.8m in the space of seven months.
The council partly blamed the increase on failing to carry out extensive checks.
They wrote: “It should also be noted that due to the limitations of undertaking surveys in an operational mortuary the information available prior to commencement on site did not identify all challenges now being encountered with additional excavations and redesign of drainage required as mitigation.”
Westminster City is expected to cover its shortfall by taking from its Landlord Responsibility Budget. Kensington and Chelsea Council has agreed in principle to cover its share.
Westminster Public Mortuary has been declared a site for processing mass fatalities three times in the recent past, also known as a Designated Disaster Mortuary, which the report said had impacted services and driven up costs. The building forms part of the Inner-West London Coronial District. Both councils are required to complete post-mortem examinations at the site as instructed by the Coroner, through a bi-borough service agreement.
It comes as Westminster City has also agreed to pay BM Ambulance Group £644,000 over five years to transport dead bodies, a separate report shows. The council is one of four local authorities pitching in to cover the £3.36m contract. BM Ambulance Group will cover body transport services for Westminster and Royal Borough Kensington and Chelsea. Meanwhile, the deceased in Merton and Wandsworth will be taken to St George’s Hospital Mortuary. This will be done on behalf of HM Coroner for Inner West London.
There is an option to extend the contract for an additional period of two years at an additional cost of £1.3m. The agreement comes after a six-month temporary contract expired. In both instances, a procurement process was carried out.
