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Bereaved relatives are routinely advised of the location of the post mortem examination and the reasons for the transfer.

The proposed reforms are intended to increase the quality of applications which are submitted to Scottish Ministers. Doing so, will in turn, allow for faster processing times.

In all areas of Scotland, death certificates are routinely issued on the day of the post mortem examination to allow bereaved families to make the necessary funeral arrangements. On rare occasions, a death certificate cannot be issued on the day of the post mortem, usually due to the need to confirm identification of the deceased. The pathology provider will notify COPFS immediately so any identified family can be updated.

In Aberdeen, the mortuary team email the medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD) to the Registrar on the day of the post mortem examination and provide a copy to COPFS. There are no delays to death certificates being issued in Aberdeen.

A death may be considered suspicious if the facts and circumstances suggest it may have been caused as a result of criminality.

When a death is reported to the Procurator Fiscal, it may not be possible to determine from the facts and circumstances known at that time whether the death is suspicious. That may only be possible when the results of further enquiries – such as the findings of a post mortem examination – are known.

Where the death occurred has no bearing on whether or not the death will be investigated as potentially suspicious.

The Family Liaison Charter sets out the Crown’s obligations in relation to liaising with and providing information to bereaved relatives. These obligations apply equally to deaths arising in any area of Scotland.

If a post mortem examination in relation to a suspicious death requires to be transferred to another area, Police Scotland Family Liaison Officers will engage with the family at an early stage to explain the processes and timescales and keep them updated with the progress of the investigation.

All doctors are expected to work within the standards set out by the General Medical Council for good medical practice.

The Royal College of Pathologists and NHS Education for Scotland oversee training standards in pathology and their uniformity across Scotland.

COPFS regularly meets and engages with pathology providers on a range of issues. These also allow discussion on any feedback received. Every post mortem examination report is considered by a COPFS legal member of staff and our investigation is only concluded when we are satisfied that all issues have been addressed.

Current forensic pathology service levels in Aberdeen have made no significant impact to the investigation of drug related deaths in Aberdeen.

The majority of post mortem examinations in relation to deaths suspected to be due to the consumption of drugs can be conducted in Aberdeen without any delay.

There were 576 Crown-instructed post mortem examinations performed at the Aberdeen City Mortuary in Aberdeen during 2023-24:

The cost of forensic pathology is met from within the COPFS annual budget allocation from the Scottish Government which does not extend to five years.

NHS Grampian and other key stakeholders are working on establishing a forensic pathology service based in Aberdeen and COPFS is supporting that process. In addition, the opening of a new Aberdeen mortuary in 2025 will improve the experience of mortuary staff and bereaved families who engage with pathology services in Aberdeen.

NHS Lothian provide pathology services for the East of Scotland. There are six full-time forensic pathologists performing both forensic and routine postmortems in Edinburgh.

In 2023-2024, NHS Lothian began providing support for the Aberdeen, Grampian and Highlands and Islands on-call and suspicious deaths due to the lack of forensic pathologists in Aberdeen to conduct double doctor forensic postmortems there.

Notwithstanding this additional workload, the numbers of examinations carried out by NHS Lothian are within the agreed maximum annual volume of post mortems and the agreed safe working level for a full-time pathologist in Scotland.

COPFS is grateful to NHS Lothian for their continued support and for ensuring continuity of these essential services whilst NHS Grampian develops a new local service in Aberdeen.