CBC-1701-T-TH Removal and Storage of the Deceased from the Community (Conveyancing contract)

The coronial jurisdiction of Bedfordshire and Luton dealt with 1946 referrals in 2023 which represented 34.9% of the total deaths registered across Bedfordshire and Luton that year. The coronial jurisdiction of Bedfordshire and Luton includes one Hospital Trust (Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust) which is located across two sites, Bedford Hospital in Bedford, and the Luton & Dunstable Hospital in Luton. The jurisdiction also has one Category B Prison, and three Registration Districts.

A total of 422 of the total referrals received during 2023 required the deceased to be collected from the community on behalf of HM Coroner. 62% were immediately conveyed to hospital mortuary (139 to Bedford Hospital and 120 to the Luton & Dunstable Hospital), with 38% conveyed to the current supplier's premises. The Authority wishes to appoint a supplier, or suppliers, to undertake the following work from the 1st December 2024.

• oTransport from the community direct to hospital
• oTransport from the community to the suppliers own premises for storage
• oConveyance of deceased between sites when required

It is envisaged that many of these will not need a post-mortem, and therefore only transport and storage will be required to the supplier's premises. However, for some of the deceased, they may be transported directly to the hospital and subsequently stored there. In a smaller number of cases, a deceased might be transported to the supplier premises, but it subsequently be agreed that a post-mortem is required. In these cases, the supplier will be requested to transport the deceased to the hospital.

The contract may also require additional transfer of bodies between hospitals and partner sites both within and outside the county boundaries. Where possible, the Coroner Service will ensure that requests are made to transport several deceased at the same time to minimise individual journeys. We have asked suppliers to provide prices for this.

Whilst there is no expectation that freezer storage be provided, we have included a line in the pricing structure as this would make the storage premises HTA compliant.

The expectation is that a minimum of 14 spaces would be provided per geographical area.

In the event of a catastrophe or mass fatality incident, the supplier will be required

to undertake supporting activities such as removing deceased or body parts from the disaster site, and/or temporary mortuary. In these circumstances, the supplier would be acting, albeit under Coronial instruction, according to the Death Management Plan, and will be funded in accordance with this.

Additional information: Is a Recurrent Procurement Type? : No