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Address
Paediatric Mortuary Service
3rd Floor
Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital
Oxford Road
Manchester
M13 9WL
Tel 0161 701 2254
Opening hours
The Paediatric Mortuary is open from 08:00 to 16:00. The mortuary is not routinely staffed out of hours. There is however an Out of Hours Service for the Coroners service.
For MFT cases, access can be arranged by contacting the Children’s Clinical Coordinator via MFT switchboard.
The Paediatric Mortuary is closed on the first Wednesday of every month from 14:00 for staff training and development.
Contact details
Telephone ext 12254 (direct phone)
| Sharon McMinn | Mortuaries Services Manager | Sharon.mcminn@mft.nhs.uk |
| Dr. Gauri Batra | Consultant Paediatric Pathologist and clinical lead | Gauri.batra@mft.nhs.uk |
| Geoff Jackson | Senior Paediatric Anatomical Pathology Technologist | Geoff.jackson@mft.nhs.uk |
| Rachael Whittaker | Senior Anatomical Pathology Technologist | Rachael.whittaker@mft.nhs.uk |
| Faye White | Adult & Paediatric Anatomical Pathology Technologist | Faye.white@mft.nhs.uk |
| Stephen Wright | Adult & Paediatric Anatomical Pathology Technologist | Stephen.wright@mft.nhs.uk |
| Suzanne Todd | Adult & Paediatric Mortuary support worker | Suzanne.todd@mft.nhs.uk |
Location
The Paediatric Mortuary is on the 3rd floor Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. Use Core Lift 8.
Requesting a post mortem investigation
It is important to inform a Consultant Paediatric Histopathologist once there is written permission for a hospital post mortem and to make sure that the notes and written consent are available in the mortuary/histopathology department as soon as possible.
We do not know that a post mortem is required unless you tell us.
Please ensure that the Consent Form has been fully completed, that a Cooling Off/Change Your Mind period has been agreed with the consent-giver and documented, and that the form has been signed.
The consent form can be located on the staff intranet: https://intranet.mft.nhs.uk/content/hospitals-mcs/clinical-scientific-services/laboratory-medicine/using-our-services/forms-information-and-resources
Viewing
Viewing is carried out in accordance with hospital policy and is managed by nursing staff and the family services department.
However, it is always necessary to liaise with mortuary staff during the working day so that we can ensure that relatives are not disturbed for any reason.
Post mortem reports
The time taken to issue a report following a post mortem examination varies, depending on the complexity of the case and tests carried out.
In coronial cases an initial cause of death, if established, will be given to the Coroner on the day of the post mortem examination.
A full report will be available within 8–12 weeks. Please note that any clinician/relative wanting a copy of this report must obtain it via the Coroner’s office.
For hospital post mortem examination, allow six weeks for the report to be available.
Placentas
Please send placentas to the mortuary when they are connected with a post mortem.
Usually these have been fixed in formalin on the labour wards.
Placentas requiring routine histology (not associated with a death) should be sent to the Paediatric Histology Laboratory for examination.
(Last reviewed August 2024)