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Since 2019, over 1,100 infants and children from Northern Ireland have been sent to Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool for post-mortem examinations due to the absence of a specialist paediatric pathologist in the country. Victoria Buckley, one of the bereaved mothers, has spoken out about her loss, stating that having to bid farewell to her child twice is “unnatural” and will always remain with her. She criticises the system for causing more suffering to grieving parents who are left “haunted” by the process.
Buckley’s deceased infant, Ollie, was delivered at Antrim Area Hospital in May 2024. According to Buckley, Ollie was the third child born with no vital signs in the neonatal unit that week, resulting in what was described by a midwife as a significant backlog and delay before his remains were shipped to Alder Hey for the post-mortem examination. The Northern Trust apologised for the delay and stated that they will “continue to keep the need for the bereavement suite under review to inform any future service planning.”
Interim post-mortem examination service arrangements with Alder Hey Children’s Hospital have been extended until March 2027, according to BBC News NI. The arrangement was made following the inability to appoint a local paediatric pathologist in Northern Ireland. A post-mortem examination can be ordered in situations of a miscarriage, stillbirth, or the death of a child or infant.
The Belfast Trust is responsible for the post-mortem examination arrangements, including travel to Alder Hey, on behalf of all Northern Ireland health trusts. However, the parents claim that they were not given the option to travel with their child’s body to Liverpool. The Belfast Trust has stated that travel is rarely taken up, with fewer than five families travelling since January 2019
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