Anatomical examination is where a body or parts of a body, such as organs, are cut apart to allow a person to look at the inside of the body or body part. Anatomical examination may take place as part of research, education or training for health professionals.
Under the Anatomy Act 1977 (NSW)only a person who holds a licence to practice anatomy (or their delegates) may conduct anatomical examinations.
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Written applications for an anatomy licence must be submitted to the Secretary, NSW Health.
An application is submitted by a person who oversees anatomical examinations conducted at an educational, medical or research facility.
An Application to conduct anatomical examinations can be completed.
The Secretary, NSW Health.
The NSW Ministry of Health’s Regulatory and Compliance Unit will advise the local anatomy inspector to contact the applicant to arrange an inspection before assessing the application.
The time frame for assessing applications and issuing an anatomy licence may vary (often between two weeks to a month). Time frames are dependent on the complexity of the facility and the current workload experienced by the local public health unit.
The inspection will involve:
After auditing the facility, an inspection report is forwarded to the NSW Ministry of Health's Regulatory and Compliance Unit with a recommendation to issue a licence or not. A licence may be issued with standard or additional conditions, depending on the outcome of the report.
The Anatomical examination inspection checklist includes a comprehensive overview of the inspection process.
The time frame for assessing applications and issuing an anatomy licence may vary (often between two weeks to a month). Time frames are dependent on the complexity of the facility and the current workload experienced by the Public Health Unit.
An anatomy inspector determines how long a licence is valid based on their assessment of the inherent risk of a facility and compliance observed during an inspection. Newly issued licences will include an expiration date.
The risk assessment to determine the duration of licence and frequency of inspection is as follows:
The Secretary, NSW Health must be notified in writing of any change to the designated licence holder of an institution. For example, if a licence holder no longer works at the licensed facility or has moved to another area within the same organisation.
A re-issue of a licence can be requested at any time to accurately reflect changes to staff or duties within the licensed facility. Re-issuing a licence should be considered when the current licence holder will be absent from their regular duties for a period of time greater than three months.
Bodies or tissues acquired from interstate facilities must meet:
Applicants who source tissue from interstate institutions are responsible for obtaining documentation from the supplying institution that shows that the acquired tissue meets these standards.
All documentation and details of bodies/tissues acquired from overseas institutions must be added to the anatomy register and be available for audit by the anatomy inspector.
Examples of a Register of anatomical specimens and a Register for the transfer of anatomical specimens are available.
NSW anatomy licence holders can transfer bodies to other anatomy licence holders within NSW without prior approval from an anatomy inspector. The details of the transfer must be entered into the anatomy register and be available for audit by the anatomy inspector.
However, a licence holder cannot transfer the body if they believe that doing so would be against the wishes of the deceased or the senior available next of kin of the deceased person.
It is suggested that licence holders wishing to renew a licence reapply for their licences at least three months in advance to avoid licences lapsing during the assessment period.
An Application to conduct anatomical examinations should be completed.
Inspection audits assess the physical environment of the facility, review the policy and procedure protocols of the facility, and the register of specimens.
The licence holder (or prospective licence holder) must be available at the location to ensure compliance and supervision.
The frequency of inspections corresponds to the duration of the licence. For example, if a licence holder is issued a three-year licence, this means the licence facility will be inspected in three years from the time of issue. Facilities are notified of the day and time of the inspection.
However, anatomy inspectors can inspect a licensed facility at any time.
The inspector audits the physical environment of the licensed facility and reviews its policy protocols (for example, policy for handling infectious bodies) and the register of specimens.
Yes. After each inspection a report is sent to the facility that may include recommendations to ensure compliance with licence conditions and/or the requirements of the Anatomy Act 1977 (NSW).
The report is also sent to the NSW Ministry of Health's Regulatory and Compliance Unit as part of the assessment of a licence (or re-issuing a licence) application. Anatomy inspectors continually monitor facilities to follow up on the progress of any recommendations.
If the body of the child is not that of a child who was in the care of the state, you may use the body for anatomical examination. However the use of a body is subject to any specific conditions that the donor may have given as part of their consent. For example, parents may donate the body of their stillborn child to a program with the condition that it is to be used specifically for the purpose of teaching midwifery students.
A person must not authorise the anatomical examination of the body of a child if the child was, immediately before his or her death, in the care of the State.
NSW Health has allowed human and animal anatomical material to be stored and used within the same licensed facilities if an anatomy inspector is satisfied that the facility can meet these requirements:
Bodies or tissue acquired from international institutions must meet the consent and other provisions of the Anatomy Act 1977 (NSW) and the relevant policy requirements outlined in
PD 2023_044 Anatomical Examinations and Anatomy Licensing.
Applicants who source bodies and/or tissue from overseas are responsible for obtaining documentation from the supplying institution that shows that the bodies and/or tissue meets the NSW standards. All documentation and details of bodies and/or tissues acquired from overseas institutions must be added to the anatomy register and available for audit by the anatomy inspector.
A body can be retained for a maximum of four years. An application may be made for an anatomy inspector to authorise the retention of a body for an additional four years. The body must be disposed of within eight years from the date of death of the deceased.
The time limit for retention of tissue is similar to retaining a dead body.
If there is written consent by the deceased for the permanent retention of tissue, then there is no need to dispose of the tissue. Where consent to permanently retain tissues has not been given and the wishes of the deceased are unknown, the senior available next of kin may consent in writing to permanently retain the tissues.
If there is either no consent for permanent retention or the senior next of kin does not give consent, then the tissue must be disposed of within the timeframes given above.
This requirement for disposal does not apply to the retention of small samples of tissue in the form of tissue blocks and slides.
Yes. Licences may be issued for a one-off event or for a limited time, for example for a conference or exhibition. An application is required which addresses the criteria set out in PD 2023_044 Anatomical Examinations and Anatomy Licensing in NSW.As an inspection of the conference/exhibition venue may be necessary, individuals or institutions wishing to apply for one-off licences should ensure that they apply well in advance of the event.
You will need to apply for a licence from the Secretary, NSW Health and comply with the Anatomy Act 1977(NSW) as well as other relevant laws. The process for this is set out in PD 2023_044 Anatomical Examinations and Anatomy Licensing in NSW. Your application should include an outline of the activities that you propose to undertake, the facility which you propose to use and how the body will be stored, accessed and disposed.
To use a human body for research you will need to apply for a licence from the Secretary, NSW Health and comply with the Anatomy Act 1977(NSW) as well as other relevant laws. Your 'Application to conduct anatomical examinations' should include an outline of the activities that you propose to undertake, as well as how the body will be stored, accessed and disposed. For more details see PD 2023_044 Anatomical Examinations and Anatomy Licensing in NSW.
Specimens that are found without consent documentation or other proof of donation should be reported to the anatomy inspector. Options that may be considered include discussion about whether the specimen can be potentially used for teaching purposes, retained, or appropriately disposed of.
Facilities wishing to dispose of unidentified human remains (including tissue) in their possession may make an application to the Coroners Court requesting 'authorisation for disposal' in accordance with s.101 of the Coroners Act 2009.
Prior to making an application, facilities are required to:
Where human remains are unable to be identified after making the inquiries referred to above, then an application can be made to the Coroners Court for a s.101 Disposal Order.
An application to the Coroners Court for a s.101 Disposal Order is to include, at a minimum, the following information:
Applications for a s.101 Disposal Order are to be lodged with the Coroners Court, accompanied by all information, by email lidcombe.coroners@justice.nsw.gov.au [Attention: State Coroner] or post at Coroners Court, 1A Main Avenue, Lidcombe NSW 2141.
