IBMS response to RCPath’s PPP report

The IBMS welcomes the Royal College of Pathologists’ (RCPath) Paediatric and Perinatal Pathology Workforce Report and strongly supports its call for urgent, coordinated action to address the severe workforce pressures in paediatric and perinatal pathology (PPP).

The report sets out clear evidence that current services are not sustainable. Across the UK, 37% of PPP consultant posts are vacant, only 52 consultants are in post, a quarter of the workforce is expected to retire within five years and there are only 13 resident doctors in specialist training. Families are experiencing long waits for post-mortem results, with one in five waiting six months or more and some waiting over a year for answers about why their baby or child died.

For bereaved parents, delays of this length are unacceptable and add avoidable distress at an already very difficult time. Longstanding underinvestment in PPP services puts safe, timely care at risk and undermines wider commitments to improve maternity, neonatal and paediatric outcomes across the UK.

The IBMS fully endorses the report’s recommendations to expand PPP training posts, protect time and funding for education and research, and strengthen multidisciplinary teams with dedicated biomedical scientists, anatomical pathology technicians and administrative staff in every paediatric pathology unit. These measures are essential to stabilise services and to ensure that consultants have the capacity to train the next generation.

The IBMS particularly welcomes RCPath’s recognition that upskilling scientists is an essential part of the solution. The recommendation for the IBMS and RCPath to co-develop a two-year Diploma in Placenta Reporting reflects the potential of appropriately trained biomedical scientists to take on clearly defined placenta reporting responsibilities under medical supervision.

The IBMS is working with RCPath and clinical leaders to shape this programme so that it delivers robust education, supervised practice and clear governance. The intention is that scientists who complete this training will be able to support placenta reporting within multidisciplinary PPP services, helping to increase capacity, protect quality and release consultant pathologist time for the most complex work.

Biomedical scientists already make critical contributions to paediatric and perinatal services through histological dissection, mortuary practice, quality management and digital innovation, working closely with consultant pathologists and wider team members. Building on this expertise through structured qualifications is a safe and proven way to extend roles, improve resilience and support sustainable PPP services for families across the UK.

In response to the report, IBMS Chief Executive David Wells said:

The RCPath report makes clear that paediatric and perinatal pathology services are in crisis, and that families are bearing the cost through unacceptable delays and loss of local provision. The evidence it presents on vacancies, retirements and training numbers should be a call to urgent action for governments, NHS leaders and workforce planners across all four nations.

Biomedical scientists are central to modern pathology services and have already demonstrated, through histopathology reporting and advanced dissection roles, that with the right training, supervision and governance they can safely take on extended responsibilities. The proposed joint Diploma in Placenta Reporting will be a practical, carefully designed way to create a cadre of biomedical scientists who can support placenta reporting as part of integrated PPP teams, freeing consultant pathologists to focus on the most complex and sensitive cases.

The IBMS is working with the Royal College of Pathologists, NHS employers, commissioners and government to implement the report’s recommendations. Our members are committed to providing high-quality diagnostic services, and with the right investment in training and team-based models of care, they can play a key role in securing sustainable paediatric and perinatal pathology services for babies, children and their families.