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Written question asked by Chris Evans (Labour) on Wednesday, 4 March 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 9 March 2026. It was answered by Sharon Hodgson (Labour) on Monday, 16 March 2026 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.


Human Tissue: Refrigeration

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 21 November to question 90178, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a standardised approach to tissue freezing.

Answer

Standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the fresh-freezing of tissue examples have already been developed across pathology networks in England. It is, however, the responsibility of individual pathology services to maintain their own SOPs for the fresh-freezing of tissue samples. These protocols outline local capabilities and practices.

There are no current plans to introduce one standardised approach for the fresh-freezing of tissue samples. NHS England is committed to addressing variation in the provision of pathology services, particularly histopathology, of which the investigation of brain and neural tissues is a core element.

The Department is exploring options to expand brain tissue freezing capacity.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
117703
Session
2024-26
Related items
Brain Cancer: Human Tissue
Friday, 21 November 2025
Written questions
House of Commons
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Refrigeration Human tissue
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk