HM Inspector of Anatomy for Scotland: annual report 2022-2023

General Points

Statistics Summary: these are cumulative figures for all anatomy departments:

* figures in brackets are for information only and are from the previous report which was for a period of 17 months due to the suspension of inspections during the pandemic. These figures will however become more meaningful in the future when yearly comparisons will be able to be made.

Use of Bodies other than for the Teaching of Medical Students:

114. It is invariably the case that when someone leaves their body to the medical school, the assumption is made that is for the teaching of anatomy to undergraduate medical students. However, what is not always appreciated is the use made of donated bodies for the advancement of medical science and surgical training. Without exception, every Scottish medical school makes donated bodies available to surgeons in training and to research scientists enabling pioneering research to take place in Scotland.

115. The appendix shows a list of courses run and research currently being carried out using donated bodies.

Memorial Services:

116. All memorial services were in person this year for the first time since the pandemic; during the pandemic all services were conducted online. All were very well attended and very much appreciated particularly by the families and friends of all the donors.

Code of Practice:

117. The final revised version of the Code of Practice was put on hold again due to the impact of the COVID-19 situation.

Incidents Requiring Investigation:

118. There was only one serious incident requiring my intervention. An investigation into the incident was carried out by me and the university in question and appropriate action taken.

Other Activities:

119. These included:

• reviewing licence applications, both personal and premises, before issuing them. In the case of the latter, it invariably means visiting the premises in question to make sure that it conforms to the requirements of the Act and the Code of Practice.
• responding on a day-to-day basis to email and telephone enquiries both from licensed teachers and members of the public on a wide and varied range of anatomically related topics.
• invited to give a talk on the body donor programme to the NHS Board Bereavement Strategic Leads and Coordinators Network meeting.
• meeting with the CEO of the Human Tissue Authority to discuss the anatomy inspection system in Scotland.