Parents Waiting Weeks For Post-Mortems On Babies Due To Lack Of Paediatric Pathologists

Great Ormond Street Hospital (Credit: Justin Kase zsixz / Alamy Stock Photo)

3 min read10 June

A severe shortage of paediatric pathologists means bereaved parents are being forced to wait for weeks for post-mortems on their babies.

Experts warn that increasing vacancies, already at 37 per cent, will mean worse delays, adding to the pain of families facing long waits before being able to bury their children.

It recently emerged that babies from Northern Ireland were being flown to England for autopsies because of a lack of trained pathologists. The House has established that there are also shortages across England, with no senior consultants in Bristol, Birmingham or Leicester.

Data recently collected by the Royal College of Pathologists shows there are 52 consultant paediatric and perinatal pathologists in the UK – 43 in England; seven in Scotland; two in Wales – and 30 positions that need filling, leaving a vacancy gap of 37 per cent.

There are 17 centres where autopsies can be performed on babies in England. The largest are Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in London and Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool.

Thomas Jacques, professor of paediatric neuropathology and laboratory director for histopathology at GOSH, told The House that the shortage means “delays that we’re looking at for post-mortems are probably measured in a few weeks rather than a few days”.

The House understands that specialists are increasingly seeking work overseas, leaving the NHS struggling to recruit new consultants. The Royal College of Pathologists now estimates that 23 per cent of the consultant paediatric and perinatal pathology workforce intend to retire within the next five years.

Rachel Bradburne of the National Association of Funeral Directors said staff shortages in pathology are “so severe” that, for the examination, babies are having to be moved further away their parents than normal.

There is no provision for post-mortems to be carried out in Northern Ireland, so all babies requiring one must be moved by air or sea to England for examination. Since 2019, 1,105 infants and children were sent to the paediatric pathology service at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool from Northern Ireland, according to the BBC.

Commenting on the challenges faced by paediatric pathology services, Dr Bernie Corall, president of the Royal College of Pathologists, said:

"Paediatric pathology services have collapsed in many places, with no consultants in post in Northern Ireland, the South West and Midlands areas of England. Over a fifth of consultant paediatric and perinatal pathologists tell us they intend to retire within the next 5 years.

"This will be compounded by insufficient numbers of trainees coming through the training programme, meaning there will simply not be enough doctors to fill the additional consultant vacancies created by retirement, in addition to the existing longstanding vacancies, which currently sit around 40 per cent."

An NHS spokesperson said: “Timely answers are essential for bereaved families and the NHS has launched a national improvement programme to strengthen specialised paediatric and perinatal pathology services, which are facing sustained workforce challenges.

“This programme includes facilitating mutual aid arrangements between providers, and the use of less invasive options such as genomic testing where appropriate – and the NHS is continuing to work with clinical leaders and an advisory group of bereaved parents to help make family-centred improvements to these services.”