Bereaved hit by sordid cash row
MSP tells Sturgeon to sort out delays row between Crown and uni scientists
ONE of the worst things that can happen to any family is losing a loved one in sudden and unexpected circumstances.
These deaths are reported to the Crown Office and toxicology tests are carried out by experts at Glasgow University.
Post-mortem reports are carried out and grieving relatives get answers.
However, a grubby row over money has cast a shadow over this vital service.
The Crown and the university could not agree on a deal and chaos has ensued.
Staff have quit, morale is low and the future of the service is unclear.
The direct result of this shambles is that nearly 2000 vulnerable families have faced a delay in obtaining a post-mortem report.
Losing a family member is hard enough – but it is a disgrace that the pain of families has been compounded in this way.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is aware of this scandal as she was quizzed about one of these cases in November by Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard.
Gary Nelson and his sister were forced to wait six months to find out that their late mum had died of heart disease. They only got an answer after their plight was raised in the Scottish Parliament.
This is a shameful situation.
The First Minister should contact the Crown Office this morning for answers, demand an urgent resolution to the backlog and ensure apologies are offered to the families affected.
NEARLY 2000 grieving families have been “let down on a shocking scale” over delays to postmortems into the deaths of their loved ones.
Nicola Sturgeon has been urged to intervene in a scandal caused by a contract row between the Crown Office and the Toxicology service at Glasgow University.
Labour MSP Monica Lennon said: “It is complete negligence that a backlog has been created.”
After sudden and unexpected deaths are reported to the Crown Office, the university carries out toxicology tests, including in 90 per cent of drugrelated deaths in Scotland.
A row broke out earlier this year over the future of the £1million contract delivered by the university.
The Crown was accused by the Unite union of a lack of consultation with uni staff, who were said to be fearing for their jobs.
A short-term extension was agreed until next year to allow the Crown Office to explore other options.
But the wrangle has left some families waiting more than six months to get a post-mortem report, which cannot be issued until toxicology analysis has been completed.
In one case, a deceased mum’s life insurance would not pay out without a death certificate and her children were threatened with the repossession of the family home.
Lord Advocate James Wolffe, who attends meetings of the Scottish Government Cabinet, has now confirmed the extent of the delays this year.
In a letter to Lennon, he said: “Since February 2019, 1859 post-mortem examination reports are recorded as having been delayed as a direct result of delays in forensic toxicology analysis.”
Wolffe confirmed that workload challenges had led to some cases being given a higher priority.
Toxicology work for homicides, road traffic fatalities and child deaths is dealt with first. Lennon said: “Bereaved families have been let down on a shocking scale. Scottish Ministers can no longer stand back and watch these dreadful delays continue. The First Minister must intervene.
“Blaming this on a contractual dispute between the Crown Office and Glasgow University is of no comfort to families who have faced agonising waits for answers.”
Scotland’s drug deaths rose to a record 1187 last year, up 27 per cent from the previous year and three times the level in England and Wales.
A Glasgow University spokesman said: “Colleagues are working extremely hard to address this issue and we hope the Crown Office will make a decision shortly on the future provision of toxicology services in Scotland.”
A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: “The procurement of toxicology services is a matter for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.”
Blaming this on a dispute is of no comfort to families
MONICA LENNON ON POST-MORTEM BACKLOG