Bereaved parents who waited nearly a year for answers after son’s death call for action
Public First
Health Secretary urged to act as families are left waiting months to learn why their child died, with paediatric pathology services “in a state of collapse”
Bereaved parents have urged the Health Secretary to act on a chronic shortage of specialists that is leaving families waiting months for answers after the death of a child.
Michael Pryor and Sabine Vandenbroucke faced an agonising 10-month wait for a full post-mortem report after their only child, Raphaël Pryor, collapsed while playing sport at school and died.
Raphaël was 17-years-old when he collapsed on the playing field at Eton College in Berkshire. He had been a fit and healthy young man, making his sudden death even harder for his family to understand.
Paediatric and perinatal pathologists carry out post-mortem examinations after the unexplained death of a baby or child. Their work can help families understand why their child died and identify inherited conditions that may put siblings or other relatives at risk. Such information can be vital in treating those other family members or expectant mothers more generally.
But a severe national shortage means grieving families are being left in limbo, while delays to post-mortem findings can also hold up potentially lifesaving screening and prevention for relatives where an inherited condition may be involved.
The Royal College of Pathologists has warned that Northern Ireland, the Midlands and the South West of England have no paediatric and perinatal pathology consultants in post, forcing families to rely on services hundreds of miles away.
Its recent workforce report found that the UK has just 52 paediatric and perinatal pathology consultants, with 37% of consultant posts vacant. Only 13 doctors are currently training in the specialty, while 13 consultants are due to retire in the next five years.
The Government’s 10 Year Health Plan for England commits to creating 1,000 new specialty training posts over the next three years, focused on areas of greatest need.
Michael and Sabine are joining calls from the Royal College of Pathologists to earmark just 37 of these posts for paediatric and perinatal pathology, helping to begin to rebuild the workforce.
Sabine Vandenbroucke said:
"Raphaël was our only child. He was full of life, active and loved by everyone who knew him. When he died so suddenly, our world stopped.
"Waiting 10 months for the post-mortem report was agony. How can a healthy boy drop dead, just like that? What did we miss? Was there any inherited family condition? No family should have to go through such a long wait.
"Every delay means parents spending another day without knowing why their child died. It means more nights lying awake with the same unanswered questions."
Michael Pryor said:
"We cannot bring Raphaël back, but we can try to stop other families being left in the same painful uncertainty.
"The Government has already promised 1,000 new specialty training posts. We are asking for just 37 of them to be used to rebuild this vital service.
"When a child dies, every day without answers matters. The Health Secretary should not allow more families to be left waiting month after month."
Dr Clair Evans, Chair of the Royal College of Pathologists Pre/Perinatal/Paediatric Pathology Specialty Advisory Committee said:
"Paediatric and perinatal pathology services are in a state of collapse. Paediatric and perinatal pathologists are working continuously under significant pressure, to provide high-quality care, but this is leading to stress and burnout. This leads to the workforce unable to meet demand, leaving bereaved families waiting for answers after the death of a child.
"There are a substantial number of vacant consultant posts and a dwindling number of resident doctors coming into the specialty Without urgent action, this critical situation will only get worse. Currently the vacancy rate is 37% across the specialty. Thirteen of the UK’s 52 consultants are also due to retire in the next five years, while only 13 doctors are currently training to replace them.
"We are asking government to earmark just 37 of its promised new specialty training posts over the next five years for paediatric and perinatal pathology before more services collapse and more families are left waiting."
Dr Nikki Speed, Co-founder and CEO of SUDC (Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood) UK, said:
"When a child dies suddenly without explanation, the post‑mortem is not just a medical formality, it is often the only chance a family has to understand what happened and whether it could happen again. Yet many of the families we support are left waiting months or even years for answers, in delays described in Parliament as ‘inhumane’.
"We support efforts to increase the number of paediatric pathologists through dedicated training allocations. Without the right specialist expertise, families are left in limbo and vital opportunities to identify causes, inform future pregnancies and improve prevention are being lost. Every child’s death deserves a thorough investigation, and every family deserves timely, clear answers about why their child died."
Fergus Crow, CEO of Child Bereavement UK, said:
"The death of a child is truly one of the hardest situations a parent could ever face, but for countless parents across the UK, what makes this circumstance even more difficult is the lack of explanation. Not knowing what happened to your child can add extra burden to feelings of grief and bereavement.
"We support efforts to improve the number of child pathologists in the UK through the development of more training allocations, so more understanding and honest, timely information is available to parents after the death of their child."
A spokesperson on behalf of SADS (Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome) UK, said:
"SADS UK support families and individuals who have lost loved ones. We truly understand the heartbreak of losing a child and sadly, the added trauma of how long the families have to wait for the reasons of their child’s untimely death.
"SADS UK wholeheartedly support Sabine and Michael’s campaign to train more paediatric pathologists to ensure that families receive information as quickly as possible after the death of their child."
Professor Bryan Williams OBE, Chief Scientific and Medical Officer at the British Heart Foundation said:
“When bereaved parents are experiencing the unimaginable pain of losing a child suddenly, it is absolutely vital they have timely access to all the information they need about why their child died.
"Long delays in paediatric pathology services are not only highly distressing for families, but they can also leave other family members who may share the same genetic risk factors at risk of sudden cardiac death. It is critical that we see investment in both the academic and clinical pathways now, so that bereaved parents in the future experience well-resourced services underpinned by the latest research."
Notes to editors
- The Royal College of Pathologists’ Paediatric and Perinatal Pathology Workforce Report was published on 24 November 2025 and can be accessed here.
- To arrange an interview with Raphaël’s parents Sabine and Michael, or for more information, please email [email protected] or call Olivia Walsham on 0783718949.
- The following family hand out photos have been provided by Raphaël’s parents: Photo 1, Photo 2, Photo 3, Photo 4, Photo 5, Photo 6, Photo 7, Photo 8, Photo 9, Photo 10
