A critical shortage of paediatric pathologists across the UK is causing agonising delays for bereaved families, with one in five forced to wait six months or more to learn the cause of their child's death. The Royal College of Pathologists (RCP) reports that only 53 consultant paediatric pathologists are available nationwide, leaving many posts vacant and overwhelming the remaining specialists.
Retired Pathologist Returns to Ease Crisis
Dr Marta Cohen, a paediatric pathologist, has come out of retirement to help reduce waiting times, describing the situation as the most serious in 20 years. She now handles 85% of sudden death cases at Sheffield Children's Hospital, where around 500 paediatric postmortems are conducted annually, including 120 sudden unexpected deaths. Dr Cohen warns that the workforce is shrinking due to high pressure, complex cases, and poor wellbeing among pathologists.
Family's Ordeal: Seven-Month Wait for Answers
Nathan and Fiona Robinson from Doncaster waited seven months for a postmortem after their two-year-old son Alfie died suddenly in May 2022. Fiona found him unresponsive in bed with no warning signs. The couple described living in limbo, constantly replaying scenarios and fearing for their surviving child. Despite the postmortem and a review of medical history, an inquest two years later could not establish a cause of death, leaving them without closure.
Nathan emphasised the importance of swift answers: "For a parent that's gone through an unexplained death, it's paramount that they get that answer quickly. It's really important for these families that they can start to build a life again that's been completely destroyed."
National Shortage and Regional Gaps
According to the RCP, more than a third of paediatric pathologist posts are vacant, with regions like the Midlands and South West having no child pathologists at all. This forces consultants like Dr Cohen to examine bodies from as far as Kent, Newcastle, and the West Midlands, with some arriving a month after death as coroners struggle to find a specialist. The RCP cites shortages of qualified pathologists, budget constraints, and approval delays as main barriers to recruitment.
Dr Cohen urged the government to invest in training: "If you don't have enough consultants, how will you train the ones you need?" A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said any avoidable distress is unacceptable and committed to creating more training posts in specialties with greatest need.
Around 40 children and young people under 18 die unexpectedly from unknown causes in the UK each year, with investigations failing to uncover a reason. The delays compound families' grief, leaving them without answers for months or years.
