State pathologist warns lack of dedicated mortuary  'increasingly challenging'

Funding for a new centralised mortuary in Dublin is included in the National Development Plan 2021-2030, which chief state pathologist Linda Mulligan said will reduce the office’s reliance on other mortuaries. File picture: Colin Keegan

The lack of a dedicated mortuary for the State pathologist's forensic service is "increasingly challenging" amid staffing and resource pressures in HSE-run mortuaries.

That is according to the Office of the State Pathologist. In its annual report for 2025, the office highlighted issues relating to staffing, increased workloads, and resource issues affecting the investigation of deaths.

In highlighting that the office does not currently have its own mortuary facility “to allow for centralisation of the forensic service”, pathologists attached to the office have to “travel to various HSE-run mortuaries around the country to perform State forensic cases”.

It states: “The logistics of organising this are becoming increasingly challenging as the HSE mortuaries are also dealing with increased workloads, staff shortages, and resource issues.” 

The office said autopsies are usually carried out in mortuaries located within, or close to, the coroner's jurisdiction where a death occurs.

It added that four pathologists were based in Dublin last year, while one locum assistant pathologist was based in Cork. In 2025, staff spent about 480 hours travelling to conduct State autopsies, equivalent to 64 working days, or almost 13 working weeks.

Funding for a new centralised mortuary in Dublin is included in the National Development Plan 2021-2030, which chief state pathologist Linda Mulligan said will reduce the office’s reliance on other mortuaries.

Last year, 12 of the 84 autopsies held in the Dublin District Mortuary were from outside of the district because of a “lack of availability of mortuary facilities or mortuary staff”.

The report also raised issues about attendance at inquests and court cases across the country. It pointed out that such “out-of-office commitments… to provide expert advice on causes of death amounted to approximately 12 working days travel time for the pathologists during 2025”.