Bromley Council has extended its mortuary services contract with King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, ensuring the continuation of a vital service for the borough.
The decision, discussed at the Public Protection and Enforcement Policy Development & Scrutiny Committee meeting on 20 November 2025, will see King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust continue to provide mortuary services for an initial three-year period, commencing on 1 January 2026, with an option to extend for a further three years. The whole life value of the contract is £2.28 million.
The report presented to the committee noted that the current contract, awarded via direct award in 2019 following a failed tender, is due to expire on 31 December 2025. The initial tender in 2019 failed to attract any bids because King's Trust, the incumbent provider, was unable to submit due to staffing and technical constraints. According to the Contract Award Member Report Mortuary Services V2, the Trust remains the only viable provider within the HM South London Coronial District. To avoid a similar outcome, the council directly negotiated with King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
The report recommended that the Portfolio Holder for Public Protection and Enforcement approve the direct award of the Mortuary Services Contract to King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust for an initial period of three years, commencing on 1 January 2026, with an option to extend for a further three years, resulting in a whole life value of £2.28 million (£380k per annum). The proposed annual contract price has been calculated at £380k, based on last years' service volumes and current pricing. The Contract Award Member Report Mortuary Services V2 states that this figure reflects the anticipated cost for the continuation of services under the same terms.
Alternative mortuary providers across the Southeast of England were explored to assess the feasibility of conducting a competitive tender process. Two hospitals were identified as having the capacity to meet Bromley's requirement of 70 storage spaces. However, these options were not pursued further, as the HM South London Coroner confirmed they would not travel outside the district due to travel implications for bereaved families and operational constraints. The Contract Award Member Report Mortuary Services V2 also states that requiring bereaved families to travel out of borough would likely result in significant reputational risk to the Council.
In the event that King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is unable to fulfill the contract obligations during the contract period, the Contract Award Member Report Mortuary Services V2 states that the current arrangement with King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust offers built-in resilience, with staff absences or shortages covered internally by the Trust at no additional cost.
The Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) used to measure the success and quality of the mortuary services provided under this contract are as per the current Service Specification, according to the Contract Award Member Report Mortuary Services V2.
