Debate contribution: Paediatric Pathology Services

Debate contribution by Mr Alan Robinson on 13 January 2026.

MLA

Mr Alan Robinson

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

13 January 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Paediatric Pathology Services

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5316336

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I thank the proposer of the motion. We should all be concerned that, more than six years after paediatric post-mortem services were outsourced, we still do not have a full, locally based service. I use the words "interim arrangements" loosely, because what was supposed to be a temporary solution has now become entrenched. There is no doubt that the transport of deceased infants or children to England imposes a devastating emotional challenge on families. A mother whose baby was stillborn described the cruel heartbreak of having to send her son to Alder Hey hospital for the post-mortem. Families are forced to make really tough decisions in their darkest hour while away from all their family support networks, sometimes at an added cost and with greater distress. A local councillor has also expressed her dismay. As recently as February 2025, Julie Flaherty, in recalling her loss, called it "disgraceful" that, after six years, we still call the arrangements "interim". Another mother, Victoria Buckley, lost her baby Ollie in 2024. She described how she was told that her child would be taken to Liverpool for a post-mortem. She told 'The Independent' that:

"It felt like I was having to say goodbye to my baby two or three times ... First when I was told he had died, the second time when he was taken to Liverpool and the third at the funeral. It’s the most unnatural thing for a mother. You’ve just given birth and even though the baby has died you still want to protect them. To give your baby to strangers to go to another country is just horrific."

Parents or family members who wish to travel with their baby to Liverpool are supposed to be given the option to do so, but Mrs Buckley said that she was not made aware of that. To understand how we got here, we have to look back. The problem originates from the resignation of the sole paediatric pathologist at the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust. Multiple national and international recruitment drives followed, but, despite those efforts, there is still an unfilled specialist post. In 2018, a report by the Institute of Anatomical Sciences noted that around 240 paediatric post-mortem examinations are carried out in the Province annually. The vast majority involve stillborn babies, miscarriages or infants who die shortly after birth. In a specialty so small and delicate, even a single vacancy can collapse the entire service. It is important to acknowledge that the issue is not unique to here. Paediatric and perinatal pathology is one of the smallest specialties in the UK, with only approximately 52 consultants. According to the Royal College of Pathologists, there are significant workforce challenges. Many consultant posts are unfilled, and it is my understanding that training posts in Northern Ireland are non-existent. Recent figures state that there are 43 consultants in England, seven in Scotland and two in Wales and that there are 30 positions that need filling, leaving a vacancy gap of 37%. Many specialists are approaching retirement. The royal college estimates that 23% intend to retire in the next five years, thus compounding the shortage. The pressures are similar in the Republic of Ireland. I have to be fair to the Department, however, as the matter has not been totally ignored. As we have all referred to, the Department of Health entered into formal arrangements with Alder Hey Children's Hospital, and many families say that they have been supported sensitively during a difficult process. The Department commissioned an independent evaluation, conducted by Queen's University, that produced a set of 21 recommendations to improve the service. The Department has accepted those recommendations in full, and they are being actioned. In tandem, as part of longer-term planning, the Northern Ireland Pathology Network is working on workforce transformation. As a result of the June 2024 regional strategic workforce review of pathology services, a board was formed to drive implementation. All those steps are important, and they must be recognised and welcomed. Families, however, say that progress has been too slow. They also say that shipping off grieving families and their children to another country for a post-mortem is cruel. The north coast, which I represent, is not around the corner from somewhere like Dublin, which is a three-hour drive away. Either way, specialist care locally should be our goal. Requiring parents to travel long distances, wait and navigate their way through a distressing process adds to the trauma that they have just experienced. It multiplies emotional trauma for bereaved families in their darkest hour.

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

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