Upgrade and refurbishment for Uxbridge Mortuary
Wednesday 14 June, 2023: Uxbridge Mortuary has been given a high-tech overhaul following a two-year £2.5 million refurbishment and extension by Hillingdon Council.
When the council reviewed the facilities at the site in Kingston Lane, it revealed the building needed roof repairs, as well as extra workspace and storage facilities.
The expanded post-mortem area includes a 'negative-pressure' room which helps contain or stop the spread of infection, and storage capacity on site has been doubled, with variable temperature fridges which give flexibility in the operation of the service.
The building also has capacity to house a new training area to address the nationwide shortage of such facilities. The only other such facility in the country is in the north-east.
The learning space, which is currently being developed, would enable on-site training for new anatomical pathology technicians, who will be able to study post-mortems take place in real-time via a live camera feed. This live feed will also be a useful resource for the police when performing forensic post-mortems.
Further improvements were also made to the personal protective equipment (PPE) area and site office, including an improved CCTV security system and intruder alarms.
Cllr Jonathan Bianco, Hillingdon Council's Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Property, Highways and Transport, said: "We're delighted to have invested in this much-needed refurbishment to a vital facility, bringing it up to the very latest standards and futureproofing it for years to come.
"My thanks to the team who continued their vital work on site throughout the construction and now get to perform their duties in clean, safe and much improved environment."