‘Horrific’ - One thousand babies sent to Liverpool for autopsy while Belfast trust didn’t know if it had advertised for a new pathologist

Active recruitment for a paediatric pathologist at Belfast Trust didn’t begin until two years after the post became empty – with senior staff thinking that they started advertising the job with international recruitment agencies a year-and-a-half prior.

Northern Ireland has been without a specialist paediatric pathologist, responsible for carrying out post-mortems on stillborn babies, late miscarriages and babies who survive a short time after birth, since the resignation of the last consultant at Belfast Trust six years ago.

During that time, around 1,000 babies requiring post-mortems have had to be sent to Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust in Liverpool as part of an interim arrangement.

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While this started in January 2019, the trust confirmed that active recruitment didn’t begin until February 2021 – despite emails showing that senior staff said they had been advised that it had been “live” with international recruitment agencies in September 2019.

Newly released trust emails also indicate that between February 2021 and April 2024, there had been no active engagement with recruitment for the position, with senior trust staff having to check if international recruitment was still an “active request” last year.

Obtained via a Freedom of Information request by Aontú, the emails showed that in February 2021, two years on from the position being left vacant, senior managers at the Belfast Trust had to check with HR if “hard to recruit posts” were sent to international recruitment.

One official was also told that it was incorrect to say that there was “ongoing open internal recruitment” in response to an update requested by the justice department.

“I was advised in September 2019 and January 2020 that the Consultant Paediatric Pathologist post remained ‘live’ on international recruitment until COVID-19 struck and international recruitment was suspended,” a senior official stated.

“I need confirmation that this position is accurate since this is what I have reported in relation to Department of Health/media queries to this highly sensitive subject matter.”

The official was then told that it was “currently in the process” of being sent through international recruitment agencies and it was then sent for approval to be advertised through HSC’s jobs board.

A member of HR is then stated as confirming that the post hadn’t been advertised since 2017.

An approved requisition for the post was changed a few months later in June in order to facilitate the hiring of a renal pathologist when a potential candidate became available for that role.

There were no further internal communications regarding the hiring of a paediatric pathologist for the next three years until April 2024, when the health minister requested an update and the trust then checked if it was still “live” with international recruitment.

A candidate was identified in June 2024 but was deemed unsuitable and the job was not advertised again until May 2025, when three positions were listed on the HSC jobs website.

Reacting to the emails, Aontú deputy leader Gemma Brolly said she was “horrified” that families had been going through “added trauma” while officials appear to have “lost control of the recruitment process”.

“This is an unconscionable situation,” she said.

“I have spoken to parents who lost a baby or a young child who accepted that they would have no choice but to see their loved one go to Liverpool because they believed the Belfast Trust was working hard to bring the service back here.

“That is clearly now not the case, and many people will rightly feel this debacle had a further impact on their lives during a terrible time.

“I don’t think there’s any denying this recruitment just dropped off the radar for three to four years.”

While acknowledging that Covid will have had an impact on international recruitment, Ms Brolly said the post and “the people who had to endure the interim arrangements” appear to have been “forgotten about”.

“Those who have experienced this traumatic process and those who lose their loved ones in the future need to be reassured that everything that can be done to end what was supposed to be a temporary process, is being done.”

A spokesperson for the Belfast Trust said that recruitment for the consultant paediatric pathologist position was “ongoing” but that it was “increasingly challenging” due to a global shortage of skills required - with no applicants during their latest recruitment drive in May.

“This challenge is further complicated by the need to recruit several individuals at the same time in order to re-establish a sustainable service in Northern Ireland,” they said.

“To provide a sustainable service in Northern Ireland, three posts were required.

“Belfast Trust has attempted to recruit for this role in 2021, 2024, and 2025. International recruitment agencies were used to advertise the post in 2021 and 2024.

“Agencies send the Trust service updates when applications are submitted, and applications are shared with HR if there is a suitable candidate.”