DIGITAL autopsies are set to be carried out in Lancashire, the first of its kind in the North West.

It means in some cases there will be less invasive autopsies carried out during post-mortems than the traditional method.

Lancashire County Council and the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have signed a contract with iGene Ltd for the new service, based at the Royal Preston Hospital.

Hospital bosses said it will help reduce the stress for grieving families, however in some cases traditional post-mortems will still need to be carried out.

A traditional post-mortem examination is performed by a pathologist who has to open the body.

Developments in CT scanning and research have allowed, in some cases, a digital post-mortem to be performed without the need for the traditional invasive procedure.

Dr James Adeley, senior coroner for Lancashire, said: “This is a significant advance for the people of Lancashire in establishing accurate causes of death without the need for the distress of the traditional post-mortem, for families who are already grieving.

“The county council and the Trust have cooperated very effectively to deliver a service that is unavailable elsewhere on this scale.”

The service, to be provided by Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and iGene, will be free at the point of delivery for bereaved families.

Mark Pugh, medical director at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are delighted to be the first place in the North West to provide this innovative service, which will help to reduce distress for grieving families who are already going through a difficult time.

“This revolutionary approach to providing post-mortem examinations is far less invasive which means we are able to treat the deceased with more dignity and more quickly than the current arrangements.

“We are pleased to have been able to deliver this service in collaboration with Dr Adeley, Lancashire County Council and iGene in full recognition of the benefits it will provide.”

No facility in Lancashire is currently able to provide a digital autopsy service. Families who request a digital autopsy have to fund the investigation themselves and arrange transport out of the county.

Darren Brown, a vice president of iGene, said: “Digital Autopsy offers a significant humanitarian step forward in establishing the cause of death using software technology rather than a scalpel."