In the United Kingdom, forensic pathologists who are deployed to help the police and coroners uncover the cause of a suspicious death must be officially registered on the list of “Home Office Registered Pathologists.”
Those registered must previously be licensed to practice in the UK and be members of the Royal College of Pathologists. In cases of unnatural death, only forensic pathologists who meet the requirements and are on the Home Office list can handle them.
Well, this post will tell you the numbers of registered forensic pathologists in the United Kingdom, along with the criteria for registration and their responsibilities. So, you can know what is required of you as a candidate.
How Do Forensic Pathologists Work in the United Kingdom?
Almost the entire work of forensic pathologists in the United Kingdom is based on an autopsy. It is actually different from Continental Europe, where forensic specialists are trained in both pathology and clinic forensic medicine involving the living.
England and Wales accommodate approved forensic pathologists with specific qualifications in forensic pathology through the Home Office, overseen by the Pathology Delivery Board (PDB).
Established in 1991, PDB, which serves as the successor to the Home Office Policy Advisory Board, actually works to supervise the provision of forensic pathology services in the UK and Wales.
In addition, this institution also determines best practices for the specialty and encourages professional development through the support of academic departments, practitioner training, and relevant research.
The UK forensic pathologists are going to deal with a variety of other professional groups when working on cases of deaths that are considered suspicious. They will check the corpse at the crime scene in conjunction with police and scientists before being moved to a mortuary for an autopsy.
Autopsy procedures are set out in the Code of Practice and Performance Standards. That means forensic pathologists will procedurally conduct an autopsy. They will carry out laboratory examinations of body tissue samples.
Depending on the complexity of a death case, they will usually work with organ-specific pathologists who specialize in examining brains, eyes, hearts, bones, etc.
The Important Role of UK Forensic Pathologies in an Unnatural Death Case
In every country, forensic pathologists have a very important role, starting with carrying out the autopsy, giving statements to the police, forensic scientists, and lawyers, and providing evidence as to the cause of a person’s death at the coroner’s and criminal courts.
In the United Kingdom itself, forensic pathologists must work independently and provide 24/7 services in handling death cases, so that later the parties involved in the investigation, such as the police, coroner, lawyers, and the Home Office, get evidence of the actual cause of death.
Of course, the statements provided by forensic pathologists as the result of an autopsy will influence the continuation of a case regarding whether someone’s death was caused by either homicide, suicide, accidental, natural, or undetermined. If the death is suspected to be murder, then there will be a suspect in this death case, so the police will investigate and develop this case.
How Many Forensic Pathologists Are There in the United Kingdom?
According to gov.uk, the United Kingdom and Wales have between 35 and 40 forensic pathologists who work to handle suspicious death cases.
To make it easier for you to know them, we’ll show you the list of forensic pathologists who spread across various regions in the United Kingdom as of this writing.
Here they are:
East Midlands
- Dr M Biggs
- Dr S Hamilton
- Dr F Hollingbury
Greater London, South East and West Midlands
- Dr AL Biddlestone
- Dr O Biedrzycki
- Dr NRB Cary
- Dr RC Chapman
- Dr M Cieka
- Dr AW Fegan-Earl
- Dr V Fitzpatrick-Swallow
- Dr A Kolar
- Dr B Lockyer
- Dr S Poole
- Dr C Randall
- Dr B Swift
Mid and South Wales and Gloucestershire
- Dr R Jones
- Dr S Leadbeatter
- Dr J Williams
North East
- Dr J Bolton
- Dr PN Cooper
- Dr S Hoggard
- Dr L Mulcahy
North West, Humberside and Yorkshire
- Dr N Carter
- Dr K Hope
- Dr M Jenkins
- Dr C Johnson
- Dr CP Johnson
- Dr P Lumb
- Dr M Lyall
- Dr J Medcalf
- Dr M Parsons
- Dr J Robinson
- Dr B Rodgers
- Dr CA Wilson
West and South West
- Dr DS Cook
- Dr R Delaney
- Dr AJ Jeffery
- Dr BN Purdue
To note: Dr. Biddlestone joined the Home Office register on May 1, 2024, but there’s no information about which region he employs.
Okay, those are the forensic pathologies that are currently registered with the Home Office, UK.
Criteria for Being a Registered Forensic Pathologist in the UK
The Pathology Delivery Board’s Registration and Training Committee is actually responsible for establishing the criteria that candidates must meet to enter the Home Secretary’s register of forensic pathologists and the process that they should follow.
The applications will be reviewed by PDB, and those who meet the specified requirements and criteria will be accepted. Well, the ability to work as part of a team, good communication skills, and common sense are the basic things that forensic pathologists must have.
Apart from that, the following criteria are the most important to be eligible as a registered forensic pathologist in the UK:
- Candidates must be fully registered with the General Medical Council, have a current license to practice, and have a legal right to work in the UK.
- Candidates are good people and solvent.
- Candidates are not individuals with mental disorders under the Mental Health Act of 1983.
- Candidates have disclosed all ongoing, pending, and completed criminal or disciplinary investigations, warnings, or penalties related to the candidate by legal, medical, or other professional or regulatory bodies.
- Candidates are disqualified from being directors of a company.
- Candidates hold one of four specialist areas: either forensic histopathology, forensic medicine, histopathology, or histopathology with a sub-specialism in forensic pathology.
- Candidates demonstrated their knowledge and understanding of disclosure obligations in criminal proceedings, the Human Tissue Act 2004, the code and standards of practice and performance of forensic pathologists, the coroner’s legislation and regulations, and the and the prosecutor’s guidance for expert witnesses.
- Candidates have completed appropriate courtroom skills training, so they will have sufficient experience working within the criminal justice system in England and Wales.
- Candidates have signed the current Protocol for Membership in the Home Secretary’s Register of Forensic Pathologists.
- Candidates have an offer to join group practices recognized by the home secretary in writing.
- Candidates are not tied to another profession or law that could prevent them from working effectively and openly with the police.
- Candidates have submitted a secure network email address to safely communicate with criminal justice organizations.
- Candidates who only have a registration as a specialist in forensic medicine or histopathology must submit a written notification from the university confirming that they have undergone training, passed qualifications, and gained experience to meet the forensic pathology criteria.
- Candidates must list at least three people who will be required to provide references related to the candidate’s personality.
- Candidates must obtain an initial BCE (Enhanced Basic) security clearance as a condition to remain registered forensic pathologists.
- Candidates can provide a copy of the recently completed autopsy report to the committee to assure them that the candidate complies with the determined criteria.
If the candidates have submitted an application to the committee, they will be notified whether they have been accepted for inclusion on the Home Office register or not, along with the reasons.
If the candidates are recommended by the committee to be included in the Home Office list, your application will be submitted to the chairman of the board or the secretary of the board.
For more information, the traineeship of UK forensic pathologists is supported and funded by the Home Office Forensic Pathology Unit (HOFPU), which is based within the Home Office Science Directorate.
HOFPU works to supervise and administer the standards of forensic pathologists set by the Home Office, the Royal College of Pathologists, and the Forensic Science Regulator.
The unit is also responsible for conducting research into homicide-related issues and forensic pathology, investigating complaints made against register members, and establishing close relationships with other groups that have an interest in regional forensic pathology in uncovering a person’s cause of death.
