FSH Adult Service and Autopsies

PathWest offers an Adult Non-Coronial Post Mortem service to the tertiary hospitals in the metropolitan area which is delivered from the state-of-the-art facility at the Fiona Stanley Hospital site. The service is provided by a team of experts including clinical and non-clinical staff who ensure deceased are treated with respect and dignity. The emphasis is on a timely service so as not to delay funeral arrangements so deceased can be laid to rest by loved ones.

There are different levels of autopsies performed depending on information that is required. A full autopsy examination involves looking at all body cavities including the brain while a limited autopsy examination will only be looking at specific areas for example chest only or brain only.

An adult non-coronial post mortem can only be requested via a medical practitioner and not directly by the family to PathWest. If the next of kin are considering a post mortem for their loved one, they need to contact a medical practitioner in the first instance to discuss the procedure (preferably the recent treating doctor of the deceased, that may include the treating doctor in hospital or care or the deceased’s General Practitioner).

A viewing service is also provided so loved ones can spend private time saying goodbye. Our team work closely with hospital clinical teams to ensure legislative requirements are met with members of the funeral director industry and with the public trustee for progressing funerals for deceased with no identifiable next of kin.