'We had to wait seven months to find out how our child died'
Summary
A shortage of specialized doctors who perform child post-mortem exams in the UK has caused long delays for families trying to learn how their children died. One family waited seven months after their two-year-old son died suddenly before receiving answers.Key Facts
- There is a national shortage of qualified pathologists who perform post-mortem exams on children in the UK.
- About 20% of families now wait six months or longer to get results explaining their child's death.
- Nathan and Fiona Robinson waited seven months after their two-year-old son Alfie died unexpectedly.
- Alfie had no warning signs before his sudden death in May 2022.
- Investigations including a post-mortem and scene review sometimes fail to determine cause of death in about 40 UK children each year.
- The Royal College of Pathologists reports over one-third of pathologist posts nationwide are unfilled.
- Factors causing shortages include staffing gaps, budget limits, and slow approval processes.
- Sheffield Children’s Hospital conducts around 500 child post-mortems annually; one lead pathologist manages most sudden death cases.
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