Extra mortuary space created at city hospital
A SPECIALLY converted coronavirus mortuary has opened at Leicester General Hospital.
The mortuary, in a vacant building on the hospital site, has been created to help cope with the numbers of people dying after testing positive for Covid-19.
The number of people who have died in Leicester’s hospitals after being diagnosed with the virus stood at 106 on Sunday – an increase of 10 on Saturday’s figure.
Among the latest people to die was at least one person in their 40s. Previously, the youngest person who had died was in their 50s.
The partially-opened mortuary started accepting bodies this weekend. The construction will be fully completed “in the coming weeks”.
Our sister paper the Leicester Mercury asked the Local Resilience Forum (LRF), which is co-ordinating the city and county’s response to the effects of coronavirus, what the ultimate capacity of the mortuary will be.
A spokesman for the forum said: “We can’t give a figure at this stage. It is in use from this weekend. However, the facility is not yet fully operational.
“We will be constantly monitoring the situation. Our absolute priority is to treat people with respect and dignity.”
The facility will only be used by funeral directors and those looking after the site, and “will run to the highest standards”, said a spokesman for Leicestershire County Council, which issued a joint statement on the mortuary on behalf of the LRF.
There will be no public access nor post-mortem examination activity taking place at the site, he added.
Tom Purnell, the county council’s assistant chief executive, said on behalf of the LRF: “We have plans in place to make sure we can cope, and have been working together across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland to prepare – starting with the opening of some of the additional mortuary space at General Hospital this weekend.
“The additional capacity will allow us to cope with increased demand so our NHS colleagues can provide their usual dignified and respectful care for patients.
“We’re also working closely with faith communities and want to make sure we reassure people their wishes will be respected as far as possible.
“People may be aware of how funerals have changed already – since March 23 for example, attendance at funerals has been restricted to family only, to help with social distancing.
“In addition, deaths are now registered by telephone.”
The council spokesman said public sector organisations, including local authorities and the NHS, had been working with colleagues from public, voluntary, faith communities and private sectors to plan and prepare for the increased need for support when someone dies.
This includes conversations with funeral directors. The organisations are looking at a number of measures to make sure they are ready for an increased demand – such as working with crematoria and burial sites to look at extended opening hours,” he said.
Announcing the additional deaths, a spokesman for University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, said: “Sadly, we can confirm 106 patients being cared for at our hospitals, and who had tested positive for Covid-19, have died.
“The ages of the patients range between those in their 40s to those in their 90s.
“Our thoughts and condolences are with the families and friends of the patients at this very difficult and distressing time.”