Mortuary services
Our pathology service is responsible for looking after people who have died in hospital and supporting their families as well as investigating deaths.
We look after those who have passed away with dignity and respect and help bereaved relatives and carers by providing advice, support and assistance. This may mean supporting you with contacting the Coroner's Service, speaking with funeral directors, or assistance with any other legal documentation that may be needed.
Post-mortem service
Post-mortems, also known as autopsies, are performed in our mortuary. Sometimes they are done on behalf of the coroner - the person who oversees an inquest into deaths from unnatural or unknown causes.
In other cases, a doctor can request a post-mortem to provide more information about an illness or the cause of death or to further medical research. Occasionally, the partner or relative of the deceased person can ask for a hospital post-mortem.
Post-mortems provide useful information about how, when and why someone died. They also enable pathologists to obtain a better understanding of how diseases spread.
Our mortuary staff carry out all these tests but we are also experts in bereavement. We will help and guide you through the process, supporting you with legal paperwork and liaising with funeral directors about collecting the deceased.
We also provide support and advice to the police and NHS staff, as well as organising public information events about death and dying.
Northern services
The department provides a comprehensive, (except paediatric), autopsy service for North Devon District Hospital and HM Coroner, (Exeter and Greater Devon). The facility serves as the public mortuary for North Devon.
The Mortuary and Bereavement Support Office are managed by the Histopathology Laboratory Manager
Histopathology Secretaries: 01271 349197
Laboratory Enquiries: 012711 322340
Consultant Histopathologists and Specialist Doctors:
Dr Adetope Adegbayibi, Lead Consultant Histopathologist: tel 01271 349197
Dr Jason Davies, Consultant Histopathologist: tel 01271 349197
Dr Nicolas Ward, Consultant Histopathologist: tel 01271 349197
Dr Aralola Olusanya, Speciality Doctor: tel 01271 349197
Dr Binit Khandelia, Speciality Doctor: tel 01271 349197
Eastern services
You can contact us via calling 01392 403060.
Support and advice for bereaved relatives
To find out more about our bereavement services, please visit our dedicated webpages.
Information for healthcare professionals
We have a dedicated section for Healthcare professionals here.
You can also find out more via the Exeter Clinical Laboratory website (Eastern services) or the Pathology Handbook (Northern services).