Anubix

Problem

Death investigation in England and Wales is often slow, fragmented, and capacity-constrained. Families can wait weeks to months for answers and may experience invasive processes at an already traumatic time. Services vary widely by region, creating a “postcode lottery” in access, turnaround times, quality standards, and pricing -there is no consistently owned, end-to-end modern pathway.

At the same time, invasive autopsy capacity is under increasing strain due to an ageing workforce and limited training pipeline in post-mortem work. This leaves coroners and NHS partners reliant on scarce specialist capacity, contributing to backlogs and delayed release of the deceased.

Post-mortem CT has strong evidence and public acceptability, but adoption remains patchy and governance is inconsistent. The core problem is therefore not technology; it is system ownership, standardisation, trust, and scalable workforce competency. Anubix addresses this gap by providing a PMCT-first model with clear escalation to autopsy when needed, under clinical-grade training, QA, audit and family-centred communication.

Solution

Anubix provides an end-to-end PMCT-first death investigation pathway that is designed to be safe, scalable, and standardised.

It delivers:

(1) triage criteria to identify cases suitable for PMCT as first-line;

(2) access to scanning through NHS, hybrid or dedicated mortuary-adjacent models depending on local capacity;

(3) specialist post-mortem imaging interpretation and reporting; and

(4) a clear escalation framework so suspicious, complex or uncertain cases proceed to invasive autopsy and/or targeted investigations (e.g., toxicology, angiography, sampling) where required.

Crucially, Anubix solves the “trust and variability” barrier by embedding clinical-grade governance: structured education and competency-based training, defined routes to independent reporting, double-reporting during sign-off, ongoing peer review, audit, and second-opinion pathways. It also provides a secure digital workflow to support traceability and quality assurance.

For families, the pathway offers faster, more dignified answers where appropriate, and post-scan communication and support through the Afterlife Imaging Clinic – helping to reduce distress and enable earlier closure.

Impact

• Tameside & Glossop (NHS partner): Implementation of a PMCT-first model helped reduce historic coroner post-mortem turnaround from 3-4 months (worst ~4 months in winter) to 48 hours, enabling far quicker release to families and reducing backlog pressure.
• East London Forensic Centre (local authority): Delivered specialist PMCT reporting and governance support in a dedicated centre model, strengthening consistency, auditability, and access to expert interpretation.
• TIC Health (independent sector partnership): Worked with private sites (e.g., North/West London) to provide additional PMCT capacity where NHS scanner access is constrained, supporting timely, non-invasive options, including for faith and cultural communities for whom invasive autopsy may be particularly distressing.
• Bedfordshire (NHS-led model): Supported establishment of a local PMCT pathway within an NHS trust.
• External validation/recognition: The Tameside & Glossop work has been recognised through multiple national award shortlists/wins (e.g., BIR/Bayer “Make it Better” Service Award 2024, finalist for HSJ IHP and HSJ Partnership Awards 2026) and related digital reporting/governance work has received national recognition (e.g., HSJ Digital Award 2026, Cloud Computing Awards 2025 – Business Awards UK).