Debate contribution: Paediatric Pathology Services

Debate contribution by Mr Alan Chambers on 13 January 2026.

MLA: Mr Alan Chambers
Party at the time: Ulster Unionist Party
Date: 13 January 2026
Type: Debate contribution
Business: Private Members' Business
Heading: Paediatric Pathology Services
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 5316327

Text

This subject, rightly, commands care and sensitivity. Understandably, it has been the topic of much discussion in the Chamber. The loss of a child is unimaginable for families, yet that is the absolutely heartbreaking reality that occurs right across our small Province each and every week. For those parents, the days and weeks that follow are often a blur of grief and, sometimes, debilitating heartbreak. At such a time, families deserve a wrap-around service that works as effectively as possible. As we all know, from the moment that paediatric pathology services became unavailable locally and families were required to rely on arrangements outside Northern Ireland, the already immense burden in those circumstances became heavier still. Since 2019, post-mortem examinations for children here have most often been carried out in England. That situation cannot sit easily with anyone in the House. In a small Province such as Northern Ireland, the lack of a necessary population scale to maintain a sustainable paediatric pathology service places additional unnecessary strain on families at the most vulnerable point of their lives, so neither the Chamber nor any Minister of Health should ever seek to explain away the situation. To its credit, the Department has never sought to explain it away. Instead, the Minister has fully embraced the previous independent evaluation of the paediatric pathology service. That evaluation resulted in 21 recommendations that focused on improving how the service operates and, critically, how families are supported through it. Every one of those recommendations was accepted in full by the Minister. Those recommendations address issues that families have raised and points that have variously been raised in the Chamber before: the timeliness of reporting; the quality of communication; the consistency of contact; clearer explanations; and improved bereavement support. Those are practical steps that are aimed at making a deeply sensitive process more humane and more responsive to the needs of parents. There is no doubt that the severe workforce constraints in such a specialised field are a major barrier, but, sadly, Northern Ireland is not unique in that regard. That is why we should continue to explore every avenue possible. I welcome the ongoing work to explore cross-border and all-Ireland cooperation. In a region of our size, with a highly specialised service and limited numbers of trained professionals, collaboration is often not only sensible but necessary. As has been demonstrated in a number of services, building resilient networks can deliver real benefits for families here. I hope that an all-island paediatric pathology service may, in the future, be another service that could support families equally on both sides of the border when dealing with such a major and heartbreaking episode in their lives. I want to put on record — I am sure that everyone in the House will agree — that this is probably one of the most sensitive and saddest debates that we have had in the Chamber in recent months, and I commend my colleagues on the other side of the House for giving us the opportunity to debate the issue.

507 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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