Families in north left ‘waiting in anguish’ as locum doctor flown in for autopsies

Families in northern Scotland are being left waiting in anguish for autopsy results on sudden deaths because a staffing crisis means locum doctors must be flown in from other parts of the UK at extortionate costs.

Meanwhile, where there is suspected foul play, bodies are being shipped to other areas of the country because there are no specially trained medics who can perform the exams locally, raising fears about wasted time in potential criminal cases.

But the situation descended even further into farce last night, with both NHS Grampian and the Crown Office claiming they are not responsible for recruiting permanent staff.

Staggering costs

Today The Sunday Post can reveal the staggering cost to taxpayers, with payments soaring from £9,732 in 2022 to £106,130 last year.

Experts fear that figure could skyrocket to as high as £360,000 next year, with a record-setting number of exams now being carried out and the final part-time staff pathologist who covered many of last year’s exams taking retirement.

Aberdeen has been used as a central hub to provide forensic specialist cover for Grampian and the Highlands and Islands.

Official figures show 600 post-mortems were performed in the city last year overall. The cost of each exam done by a locum is £600.

We can further reveal cases that require a doctor to be flown in are taking longer to process, with waiting times increasing from an average of five days for non-suspicious deaths in Aberdeen to 7.7 days when foul play is suspected.

One insider revealed a doctor is currently being flown in from London once a week and performing the examinations in a “one-er”.

There has been no forensic pathology service provider anywhere in the north since 2023 after two full time staff moved to other parts of Scotland and the last part-time pathologist retired.

North East MSP Douglas Lumsden has contacted the Lord Advocate and met with Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) representatives demanding answers.

© Supplied by Scottish Conservativ

He said: “This is undoubtedly causing long delays for families left in anguish, waiting for answers.

“NHS Grampian want to establish a forensic pathology service locally, which is what’s needed. I think that would work very well with the establishment of the integrated mortuary at Foresterhill.

“But the training and retention of these specialists needs to be seriously looked at.”

Who is responsible?

Crown Office officials say they were forced to take the “unprecedented but necessary” step of temporarily managing post-mortem services in Aberdeen to ensure there are no gaps in provision.

However, they insist they are not involved in the recruitment or training of pathologists.

A spokesman said: “COPFS is the client and the recipient of forensic pathology services in Scotland to allow the Procurators Fiscal to discharge their death investigation duties on behalf of the Lord Advocate.”

NHS Grampian said its obligations are to provide facilities for those who have died on its premises and it has a contract to provide administrative support to the Crown Office.

It refused to answer when we asked who has responsibility for hiring permanent staff.

A spokeswoman said: “We believe our new integrated mortuary building, due to open later this year, will assist in the future recruitment of forensic pathology staff should NHS Grampian enter into a contract to provide such a service.

“We recognise any delay in the analysis of deaths is extremely distressing for families, at an already difficult time.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Families who sadly experience sudden deaths rightly expect speedy autopsy results and NHS Grampian is working to establish a forensic pathology service.

“In the meantime, appropriate coverage is being delivered by locums and other service providers.”