Fostering Excellence: Sharing Best Practices for Positive Contributions to Fuller Inquiry

Alignment to PS Vision and Ambitions:

Overview:

The Fuller Inquiry was set up by the UK Government to investigate how unlawful actions in the mortuaries at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust happened, and why they went unnoticed. The aim of the Inquiry is ultimately to make recommendations across the health sector to prevent anything similar happening again.

The University of Manchester’s Medical School was selected to engage with phase 2 of the Fuller Inquiry. Phase 2 looked at the broader national picture and the practices and procedures in place to protect the deceased in the NHS and other settings, such as funeral homes, ambulance stations, temporary and emergency mortuaries, university anatomy departments and surgical training centres.

Stephen Lindsay-Smith, Technical Manager, Human Anatomy and Anatomy Bequeathals in FBMH manages the Anatomy suite in the Stopford building and is also the point of contact for Human Tissue Authority (HTA), played a key role in providing positive examples of best practice in terms of governance structures, quality of facilities, security measures and the importance of good lines of communication between management and NHS partners, many of which he himself had instigated.

The involvement of the Medical School and the Technical Operations Team in the Fuller inquiry demonstrated the highly skilled, expert technical staff and their contribution to effective management of complex facilities at the University of Manchester.

Objectives

They key objectives were for members of the Inquiry Team to visit the facilities and determine how the Anatomy Suite approaches the management of cadavers used in the facility, and to gather information regarding best practice to aid in the formulation of future recommendations.

Approach and Collaboration

Approach:

Initially an interview was conducted with Stephen, as the Designated Individual for the University of Manchester HTA Anatomy Licence. Prior to the interview Stephen shared all governance material that touched on dignity and security of the deceased and the latest HTA inspection report.

On 19^th March 2025, a full site visit of the University of Manchester Anatomy facility and of the NHS run Manchester Surgical Skills and Simulation Centre, took place by members of the inquiry committee, to take a deep dive into safeguarding measures in place to maintain the dignity of the deceased.

Collaboration:

Stephen works closely with Senior Academics and NHS staff to ensure that all practices are of the highest quality and manages a professional services team within the facility who provide the underlying operational capabilities.

Outcomes and Lessons Learned

Outcomes:

Throughout the visit positive comments were received regarding the overall facilities and management practices, with Sir Jonathan Michael, Chair of the Committee, comparing the Anatomy Suite favourably compared to similar facilities he had visited.

Lessons learned:

Recognising and utilising the expert knowledge of technical staff in collaboration with academic staff and external partners provides the University of Manchester with the capability to deliver world-class services.

Contact Information

For further information, please contact:

Michelle Jackson – Head of Technical Services, FBMH Faculty Office Administration