To think this is an inhumane way to treat bereaved parents.

[Chocolatepeanuts]

It has just been announced that from January 2019 paediatric post mortems will no longer be held in Northern Ireland. Instead, parents who are already experiencing the horror of a still birth or loss of a child will have to decide between refusing a pm or choosing for the remains to be shipped or flown to Liverpool. In the case of the coroner deciding a pm is required there will be no choice.

AIBU in thinking this is utterly horrific? I cant imagine the pain of losing a child, its my worst nightmare, but to have that compounded by either letting the remains of my precious child travel to England alone, for god knows how long, or to travel with them while leaving their siblings behind at such a devastating time is just beyond my comprehension.

Oh and the health board are considering introducing an app so you can track the progress of the remains like a fucking amazon parcel.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-46195619#

Sorry for the non clicky link

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-46195619#

Horrible.

It's horrific and I'm shocked but not entirely surprised as the dominant party and culture in Northern Ireland seem not to have entered the 20th century yet.

I agree that losing a child is the worst nightmare imaginable. However I t’m not sure what differenc it would make where a pm takes place. As long as it’s efficient, that’s all that can be asked I think. The necessity for a pm is bad enough as it is - I can’t see location making it worse.

WTF! That's awful!

How can there be no one qualified in NI?
Oh wait I can guess
Bloody horrifying

That is horrific. The tracking thing too, WTF??!! A convenient way to see if your stillborn baby is waiting at the docks TO BE SHIPPED?! Horrendous, horrendous, horrendous. Who are these people that make these decisions?!

Awful. Hopefully this policy can be reversed.

How do they force people to work there, though?

If it was a service being cut, then yes, but it's because no-one is filling the job openings.

Good God that is just horrendous, who on this earth thought that this was a good or right thing to do and as you say to then have an app to "track" what is happening. This is so wrong on many levels. Cruel and barbaric.

Cardibach here in NI our dead are taken home for a wake and buried within 3 days. Our traditions and customs around death are centuries old. How can it not make a difference where it is carried out?? It could be weeks before remains are released back to parents. I understand it is a recruitment issue rather than anything to do with the executive, but im sure the DUP havr put many a right thinking pathologist off coming to work here.

There will be more and more gaps as we go on.

Wtf. Can they not find someone to replace the person leaving?! This is just horrible.

Birds contingencies should have put in place years ago when concerns were first raised.

Could they not come to some arrangement with Ireland? That would surely be easier for families to travel with their child and other family members if they wished - an ambulance or hearse by road.

good god thats awful, they're really is some horrible business in Ireland.

Hopefully too many paws. Paed Heart surgery is one cross border service that works.

www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/pathologist-who-quit-over-abortion-laws-cites-couple-who-aborted-baby-in-england-35048838.html

Chocolatepeanuts, yes they should have, but the report says they are trying to replace Staff and hopefully this is an interim measure.

@birdsgottafly
The article said that management didn't take action years ago when the likely situation was first flagged up to them.

Oh wow. How awful to imagine your baby cold and lonely packaged up like a parcel 😢

Jesus nocoolnames left. Im aware of that case but wasnt aware of the resignation.

With the current uncertainty around Brexit, cross-border options may not be a possibility at the moment.

Unless they find a pathologist, what else can be done?

birds yes im in the west and it is proving ectremely difficult to recruit consultants from many disciplines. There is a lot of cross border work between nhs and hse, i truly hope dublin becomes an option.