Coroners warned of six-month wait for toxicology reports
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Coroners have reportedly been warned to expect waits of almost six months for toxicology reports from the State Laboratory due to growing demand and a lack of resources.
The State Laboratory wrote to coroners to advise that the turnaround time would increase from 110 days to 160 days “as we will not have sufficient resources in place to service the current increase in the short to medium term”, The Irish Times reports.
The Coroners Society of Ireland (CSI) has said the news is “very disappointing” and will “cause concern and upset to families of those who have passed away”.
The increased turnaround time could cause delays to inquests and criminal prosecutions.
The State Laboratory says it currently has the capacity to analyse 7,600 samples per year — but the sample numbers sent to the lab ever year have risen from about 5,000 to 8,700, and will likely reach 10,000 within a few years.
The 10 per cent annual growth in demand since 2021 has outstripped its previous estimates of around four per cent annual growth.
The lab has said it is working to reduce the turnaround time “as soon as we can”.
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