Forensic pathology: role within the Home Office
Source: gov.uk (2025-11-17)

Information on the role of the Home Office Forensic Pathology Unit and its support of the Pathology Delivery Board.

Forensic pathology is a service provided to the coroners and police forces in England and Wales to assist in the investigation of homicide or suspicious death cases.

Home Office registered forensic pathologists work within regional group practices, which are independent of the police, coroners and the Home Office. Group practices are currently structured so that pathologists working within them may be self-employed or employed by a university hospital or a hospital trust.

This guide gives information on:
- how forensic pathologists are vetted and registered
- the codes and protocols which inform and regulate the way in which they work
- the Home Office register of forensic pathologists (‘the register’) (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-register-of-forensic-pathologists-february-2013)
- the Pathology Delivery Board and details of its membership
- the Home Office Forensic Pathology Unit, which monitors the standards set by the Forensic Science Regulator (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/forensic-science-regulator)
Pathology Delivery Board

The Pathology Delivery Board (PDB) oversees the provision of forensic pathology services in England and Wales. You can read the constitution of the PDB (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/constitution-of-the-pathology-delivery-board).

For information on how the Pathology Delivery Board handle and process personal information and data, please read the privacy information notice (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5f082732e90e0712c26c1ec7/PDB_Privacy_Information_Notice.pdf) (PDF, 175 KB, 6 pages).

The PDB (on behalf of the Home Secretary) recognises pathologists who have sufficient qualifications, training and experience to act on behalf of coroners and police in suspicious death and homicide cases. Applications to join the register are reviewed by the PDB and applicants are accepted onto the register only if they meet a strict criteria.

You can read the criteria for registration (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pathology-delivery-board-criteria-registration) and the protocol (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protocol-for-home-office-registered-forensic-pathologists) Home Office registered pathologists should abide by.

PDB membership

The board reports directly to the Home Secretary and is made up of stakeholders representing the following organisations:
- Home Office registered forensic pathologists (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-register-of-forensic-pathologists-february-2013)
- National Police Chiefs’ Council (http://www.npcc.police.uk)
- Chief Coroner (https://www.coronersociety.org.uk/chief-coroner/)
- Coroners’ Society of England & Wales (http://www.coronersociety.org.uk)
- British Association in Forensic Medicine (http://www.bafm.org)
- Crown Prosecution Service (http://www.cps.gov.uk)
- Royal College of Pathologists (http://www.rcpath.org)
- Forensic Science Regulator (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/forensic-science-regulator)
- Human Tissue Authority (http://www.hta.gov.uk)
- Ministry of Justice (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice)
Revalidation and annual appraisals

Under the Medical Profession (Responsible Officers) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/391/contents/made), the PDB is the designated organisation with responsibility for the oversight of appraisal and revalidation of Home Office registered forensic pathologists in England and Wales.

As part of its legal obligation under the regulations, the PDB has appointed an independent ‘responsible officer’ to oversee a system of annual appraisals that form part of the 5-year General Medical Council (GMC) revalidation process. View the PDB responsible officer policy (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/686f713e2cfe301b5fb67989/BIRO+Policy+v3.0+accessibility+checked.pdf) (PDF, 320 KB, 26 pages).

It is the responsibility of all Home Office registered forensic pathologists to participate in the annual appraisal and revalidation process.

The PDB’s independent responsible officer is Dr Stuart Hamilton MB ChB BMSc (Hons) FRCPath MFFLM, Home Office registered forensic pathologist and Deputy Chief Forensic Pathologist for the East Midlands forensic pathology group practice, who took up his new role on 7 February 2024.

You can download the annual appraisal forms, supporting documents and guidance (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/annual-appraisal-for-forensic-pathologists).

Home Office Forensic Pathology Unit

The role of the Home Office Forensic Pathology Unit (HOFPU), based within the Home Office science directorate, is to monitor and maintain those standards pertaining to forensic pathology as set by the Home Office, Royal College of Pathologists and the PDB. The unit acts as the secretariat to the PDB as well as administering the appraisal process for forensic pathologists.

The HOFPU:
- supports and funds the training of trainee forensic pathologists
- investigates complaints made against members of the register
- conducts research into homicide and forensic pathology related issues
- maintains close liaison with regional forensic pathology user groups and other key stakeholders
It also oversees and updates police practice advice on dealing with the scenes of sudden and unexpected death, and the medical investigation of suspected homicide, as well as national policy in respect of the police retention of human tissue following a suspected homicide investigation.

Contact details

Contact the Home Office Pathology Unit by email instead of post if you can. If this is not possible, email the office to let them know that you will be sending documentation.

Home Office Forensic Pathology Unit1st floor Peel Building(NE) Mailpoint A122 Marsham StreetLondonSW1P 4DF

Email: xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)

Forensic pathology group practices

Regional forensic pathology group practices support coroners and the police across England and Wales. Each group practice must consist of a minimum of 3 Home Office registered forensic pathologists.

All members of the register are required to be members of a group practice as a condition of registration. Members of the register are not permitted to practice independently, outside of a formal group practice arrangement.

Within group practices, forensic pathologists agree to abide by the code of practice (https://www.rcpath.org/static/5647b061-8402-4e82-bb1078829c953b2e/G131-BPR-Code-of-practice-and-performance-standards-for-forensic-pathology-in-England-Wales-and-Northern-Ireland.pdf) jointly produced by the Home Office, Royal College of Pathologists and the Department of Justice of Northern Ireland.

Complaints

The PDB ensures that the high standards expected of Home Office registered forensic pathologists are maintained. Pathologists are subject to suitability rules (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/suitability-rules-for-forensic-pathologists-2013).

If you wish to make a complaint against a registered forensic pathologist, email xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx).

Careers in forensic pathology

You must first qualify as a medical doctor before going on to specialise in forensic pathology. This specialism is governed and controlled by the:
- General Medical Council (http://www.gmc-uk.org/)
- Royal College of Pathologists (http://www.rcpath.org/)
These bodies can provide guidance on careers in forensic pathology.

Other information
- A review of forensic pathology in England and Wales: submitted to the Minister of State for Crime Prevention, March 2015: the ‘Hutton Review’ (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-forensic-pathology-in-england-and-wales)
- A study into decision making at the initial scene of unexpected death (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/forensic-pathology-audit-report-3)
- Annual appraisals for forensic pathologists (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/annual-appraisal-for-forensic-pathologists)
- Fatal call: getting away with murder (Dr Dean Jones’ PhD thesis) (https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/fatal-call-getting-away-with-murder)
- Guidance: dealing with sudden and unexpected death and the medical investigation (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sudden-unexpected-death-medical-investigation)
- Guidance: provision of human tissue to the defence (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-provision-of-human-tissue-to-the-defence)
- Independent review of forensic pathology (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-of-forensic-pathology) - review of the pathology on victims of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, to identify any shortcomings and make recommendations for any future public tragedies
- Legal issues in forensic pathology and tissue retention: issue 2 guidance (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/legal-issues-in-forensic-pathology-and-tissue-retention-issue-2-guidance)
- Memorandum of understanding between the General Medical Council and the Pathology Delivery Board (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/memorandum-of-understanding-between-the-general-medical-council-and-the-pathology-delivery-board)
- Police human tissue audit: 2010 to 2012 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/police-human-tissue-audit-2010-to-2012)
- Proposed human tissue policy for police forces (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/proposed-human-tissue-policy-for-police-forces)
- Provision of forensic pathology services in event of regulatory action by HTA (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/provision-of-forensic-pathology-services-in-event-of-regulatory-action-by-hta)
- Taking and retaining human tissue in a post mortem examination (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/taking-and-retaining-human-tissue-in-a-post-mortem-examination)
- The role of forensic pathologists (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-role-of-forensic-pathologists)