Deceased infant children are still being transported to Liverpool for post-mortem due to a lack of local paediatric pathologists.
Addressing her council colleagues at last Monday’s (January 27) ABC monthly meeting, Cllr Julie Flaherty expressed dismay that this practice is ongoing due to a lack of specialist paediatric pathologists in Northern Ireland.
The issue is close to the Portadown representative’s heart, as her young son Jake tragically died in 2013, having just turned two years of age.
At that time, paediatric pathologists were still being flown over from England to carry out post-mortems, and while it meant that Jake never had to be transported to Liverpool, funeral arrangements had to be delayed by two days to allow time for a paediatric pathologist to come over, which prolonged Cllr Flaherty and her husband Wayne’s heartache.
Back in December 2018, transporting deceased infant children to Liverpool had not become policy yet, however that option was firmly on the cards from January 1, 2019 onwards.
This prompted Cllr Flaherty to strongly oppose any such move, in a notice of motion tabled at the December 17, 2018, monthly meeting of Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon (ABC) Borough Council.
When presenting her notice of motion, which was seconded by then ABC councillor, Sam Nicholson, Cllr Flaherty recalled her own traumatic experience of having to wait for a paediatric pathologist.
She stated at the time: “It is a tragedy for any family to lose a baby or young child. Nothing can ever prepare you for it and even years after it, that loss remains with you for every hour of every day.
“I lost our Jake when he was only two years and two days old, in 2013. Unfortunately I know from bitter experience how hard it is for parents to face delays for a post-mortem – my husband and I were forced to wait an extra two days in order for a specialist to be found. That delay only made a nightmare even more difficult for us.
“The decision that child post-mortems are going to be undertaken in England, instead of Northern Ireland, will only add to the hurt and heartache of those families that have lost a young loved one. This is truly disgraceful.
“What is being proposed, even as an interim measure, feels very cruel and inhumane. As a parent who has been through this terrible experience, I feel very upset. Upset at the thought of what is ahead of grieving mothers and fathers. This cannot be allowed to continue. This is simply wrong.”
Six years on from tabling her motion, Cllr Flaherty expressed frustration, at last Monday’s ABC monthly meeting, that deceased infant children are still being transported to Liverpool for post-mortem, as there are still no resident paediatric pathologists in Northern Ireland.
The UUP representative noted that what were meant to be “interim” transportation arrangements, when they were introduced on January 1, 2019, could hardly be described as being of an “interim” nature six years later.
The number of annual paediatric post-mortem referrals undertaken at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, in Liverpool, is very high: 162 in 2019; 151 in 2020; 216 in 2021; 197 in 2022; 198 in 2023; 181 in 2024.
She commented last Monday: “Way back in [December 2018], I brought a notice of motion – I do follow things up – and I have received the latest figures.
“There was an interim service that was brought in. After six years, I think to call it an interim service is a stretch.”
As Cllr Flaherty had earlier called for the Health Working Committee to be convened, she added: “That’s something I would like to see put on the agenda for discussion at the Health Committee. I think that’ll be very useful.”
Addressing Cllr Flaherty’s concerns, ABC Lord Mayor, Cllr Sarah Duffy indicated: “I’m being assured that that will be followed up on.”
