Question reference: S6W-03489
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 6 October 2021
-
Current status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 20 October 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) shortest, (b) median and (c) longest waiting time has been for a toxicology report to be completed in each of the last 10 years.
Answer
An analysis of the obtained from the two toxicology providers in Scotland – NHS Grampian which provides approximately 10% of the analysis capability and Glasgow University which provides the rest – is set out in the tables below.
It should be noted however that the extent of toxicological analysis required will depend on the individual circumstances of each case and the extent and nature of substances that are found. Factors such as the need to research the effects of unusual drugs or instruct separate analysis for insulin quantification will result in toxicological reports taking longer to be finalised.
Additionally, in determining the final cause of death, completion of the toxicological report is only one part of a process which involves a number of separate organisations before a final post mortem report can be issued.
Depending on the circumstances surrounding a death, the pathologist(s) may require a number of further investigations to be completed – including further toxicological analysis as well as input from other experts in the fields of neuropathology or histopathology for example – and the findings of all those enquiries must then be carefully considered by COPFS before a cause of death is confirmed.
GU TOXICOLOGY TURNAROUND TIMES
| Year | Number of Cases Received | Shortest Reporting Time (Days) | Longest Reporting Time (Including Resubmissions) (Days) | Longest Reporting Time (Excluding Resubmissions) (Days) | Mean (Days) | Median (Days) | Mode (Days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 1678 | 6 | 182 | 115 | 26.33 | 26 | 28 |
| 2013 | 2563 | 7 | 240 | 240 | 27.12 | 27 | 28 |
| 2014 | 2990 | 8 | 244 | 244 | 27.36 | 27 | 28 |
| 2015 | 3180 | 13 | 298 | 98 | 27.92 | 27 | 28 |
| 2016 | 3367 | 8 | 366 | 109 | 28.99 | 28 | 28 |
| 2017 | 3414 | 12 | 359 | 126 | 31.12 | 28 | 28 |
| 2018 | 3714 | 9 | 355 | 154 | 39.74 | 41 | 42 |
| 2019 | 3845 | 9 | 337 | 254 | 134.20 | 118 | 203 |
| 2020 | 3600 | 8 | 315 | 238 | 112.90 | 112 | 105 |
| 2021 (to 15th) | 2989 | 5 | 175 | 99 | 42.56 | 42 | 41 |
NHS GRAMPIAN TOXICOLOGY TURNAROUND TIMES
| Year | Number of Cases Received | Maximum Turnaround Time (Days) | Average Turnaround Time (Days) | Median Turnaround Time (Days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 439 | 101 | 6 | 6 |
| 2013 | 522 | 61 | 6 | 5 |
| 2014 | 558 | 103 | 7 | 5 |
| 2015 | 568 | 260 | 9 | 7 |
| 2016 | 525 | 91 | 8 | 7 |
| 2017 | 461 | 76 | 10 | 7 |
| 2018 | 502 | 172 | 15 | 13 |
| 2019 | 490 | 62 | 13 | 11 |
| 2020 | 552 | 168 | 14 | 12 |
| 2021 | 385 | 103 | 13 | 12 |