AN AUTOPSY company that is bringing post-mortems into the “modern era” wants Bradford Council to take the financial burden of the process away from families.

Digital Autopsy, which has been based at the public and forensic mortuary on Burnham Avenue, Bierley, in a state-of-the-art £2million centre, for more than two years, says its method makes the grieving process easier.

The digital post-mortem involves a CT scanner and revolutionary software, and ends with a 3D reconstruction of a body on a computer screen for examination.

The centre in Bradford was opened in May 2014 and was the second in the UK under the banner of Malaysian firm iGene.

Peter Coulson-Smith, business development manager at Digital Autopsy, said: “We feel it should be funded by the local authority. It is something that shouldn’t fall on members of the public. It should rest with the local authority.”

The company has at least three other local authorities on board to fund its centres, and is hoping to add Bradford Council to the list.

Mr Coulson-Smith said discussions were ongoing with the Council.

He added: “We can save them money. At this time, the ability to save money is a step in the right direction.

“At the end of the day, it is about raising public awareness. We feel it should be freely available to the public.”

A Council spokesman said: “We have provided a site for non-invasive autopsies to be carried out using a scanner. This site is operated by a private company with whom we already have an agreement to pay for certain types of autopsies.

“Private individuals can access the service directly at their cost if they wish to. We are considering its position in terms of extending the scope of the non-invasive autopsies it pays for with the current private company.”

Mr Coulson-Smith added: “The post-mortem, as it stands now, has been in existence since about the 1700s. We are bringing it into the modern era.

“A normal post-mortem is very invasive.

“It makes the grieving process a lot easier when there is a post-mortem involved. It is successful.”

Radiographer Paul Hunter said: “We would like to do a lot more. We feel this is under utilised.

“We could carry out a digital autopsy on a lot more bodies, if it was the first line of intervention.

“We would like this to be the first intervention, then perhaps go to a post-mortem if needed.”

The company also works with the University of Bradford, helping to train the radiologists of the future.

MORE TOP STORIES