Decision details

The decision has been taken because there is no option to reduce the level of mortuary service provided. Demand on the Coroner Service is driven by the number of deaths reported to the Coroner and the judicial decisions that the Coroner makes.

Pembury Mortuary is used to provide a service for the coroner in the north of the county and Pembury Mortuary, alongside Brighton & Hove City Council’s Woodvale Mortuary (which serves coroner deaths from the Lewes area), also provides additional resilience when there are capacity issues at Conquest and Eastbourne District General Hospital Mortuaries. These four mortuaries are the closest in proximity in terms of the East Sussex coronial area.

Decision to extend the existing 4 year contract with Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust for the use of Pembury Mortuary for the provision of mortuary services to the East Sussex Coroner for a further one year period (as provided for in the current contract).

There is no other mortuary available within the same geographical area to provide mortuary services for the East Sussex Coroner for deaths in the north of the County of East Sussex. Use of other mortuaries would result in increased body removal costs, increased travel for relatives of the deceased for viewings and increased cost for relatives due to increased travel for local funeral directors used by relatives for collection of the deceased once bodies are released by the Coroner.