In this section
Histopathology is the macroscopic and microscopic examination of tissue samples to diagnose and evaluate disease.
The Department of Adult Histopathology is in the Clinical Sciences Building 1 at Oxford Road Campus.
The Department of Diagnostic Paediatric Histopathology is situated on the fourth floor of the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, next to in-patients pharmacy.
We provide comprehensive services to Manchester University NHS Trust, General Practitioners, dental practitioners and also provide a specialist tertiary referral and opinion on a regional and national basis.
The department is subdivided into functional units including:
- Surgical Histopathology
- Immunohistochemistry and Research
- Electron Microscopy
- Enzyme Histochemistry
The surgical pathology workload is organised into a sub-specialist team reporting system, which includes:
- Gynaecological and obstetric pathology
- Gastrointestinal, pancreaticobiliary and hepatic pathology
- Renal, urological and endocrine pathology
- Haematological and lymphoreticular pathology
- Paediatric Pathology
- Osteoarticular and soft tissue pathology
- Head and neck pathology
- Dermatopathology
- Cardiothoracic and respiratory pathology
- Ophthalmic pathology
User guides
- Paediatric Histopathology user guide
- Electron Microscopy user guide
- Adult Histopathology user guide (ORC)
- Ophthalmic Pathology user guide
- Paediatric Mortuary user guide
- Cellular Pathology at Wythenshawe Hospital user guide
Autopsies are carried out by consultant and trainee histopathologists and specialist doctors within the adjacent adult mortuary or by paediatric consultant histopathologists in the paediatric mortuary, on the third floor of the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
The department deals with approximately 30,000 surgical cases, around 1,000 autopsies on behalf of HM Coroner annually.
The department comprises over 60 medical, scientific and ancillary staff and has an excellent reputation for clinical and scientific training.
The ST1 Training school, which was opened in 2005, offers entry to run-through training for high quality entrants to the Histopathology specialist training scheme of the North West Deanery. The department is also approved by the Institute of Biomedical Science for the training of Biomedical Scientists.
Contact us
Adult Histopathology
Histology reports – 0161 701 1615
Specimen reception – 0161 276 8808
Paediatric Histopathology
Histology reports – email: paed.hist@mft.nhs.uk
Specimen reception – 0161 721 1269/11240
Adult Histopathology is open 7am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays.
Paediatric Histopathology is open 8.30am to 5.30am, Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays.
The department does not operate an out-of-hours service or shift system.
(Last reviewed May 2023)