Coroners want outsourcing of toxicology testing to be considered

The toxicology department tests for the presence of drugs, alcohol, or gases such as carbon monoxide in deaths for the Coroner Service and for criminal investigations and inquests. File picture: Robbie Reynolds

Coroners have questioned whether toxicology testing should be outsourced to the private sector as delays at the State laboratory are set to continue for more than a year.

Currently, the turnaround time for toxicology results stands at 160 days, having increased from 110 days since June and from 93 days in March.

The reason given for rising turnaround times is that the State laboratory does not have “sufficient resources in place to service the current increase (in demand for toxicology tests) in the short to medium term”.

Even though funding for 10 additional toxicology staff at the laboratory was allocated in the Budget 2024, it is expected that the increased staffing will not have an impact on the delays for at least another year. 

There are currently 25 staff attached to the toxicology department at the State laboratory. 

The section tests for the presence of drugs, alcohol, or gases such as carbon monoxide in deaths for the Coroner Service and for criminal investigations and inquests.

A spokeswoman for the State laboratory said: “We expect the additional staff to be in place by the end of March 2024. Due to the long training period required, these additional staff will not impact turnaround times until the latter part of 2024. 

"The State laboratory does not anticipate increasing the turnaround times in 2024 and anticipates a reduction in turnaround time in 2025.” 

The Coroners Society of Ireland has raised concerns about the delays at the laboratory. It is "concerned at the acknowledged delays of up to six months in furnishing to pathologists, who have been requested by coroners to carry out postmortem examinations on bodies of deceased persons, of its reports on the necessary toxicology analysis", said spokesman Patrick O’Connor. 

"While additional resources have been provided by Government to the State laboratory to employ additional staff, it will not alleviate the current backlog and delays for some time into the future. Consideration might be given to outsourcing some of the necessary analysis and testing to other laboratories in the private sector.” 

Mr O’Connor said delays in providing toxicology reports result in coroners not being in a position to complete their inquiries into the circumstances of a person’s death, resulting in delays to the conclusion of inquests.

“These delays add to the grief and great upset of bereaved families," he said.

In June, the State laboratory said it had enough resources for 7,600 samples per year — but the average per year at present is 8,700, with a forecast of up to 9,000-10,000 in the coming years.

This is an increase of 10% per year in the past two years, according to the State laboratory.

In early June, the family of a Limerick man, Christy Collopy, contacted the Departments of Justice, the Taoiseach, and the State laboratory, to highlight concerns about a delay in securing autopsy results following his death.

Mr Collopy died in early January but his family did not find out the cause of his death until June 28.