Alder Hey relatives demand apology

Relatives of children whose organs were removed at Alder Hey have demanded an apology from the hospital and the University of Liverpool.

Ed Bradley, chairman of the families’ support group Pity II, which was set up in the wake of the controversy, said the revelations were yet to be considered at length by parents.

At a press conference last night, Mr Bradley, whose daughter Niamh’s heart, lungs and brain were kept at Alder Hey, said: ‘‘The last 17 months has been harrowing and have had a devastating effect on all the families involved.

‘‘Almost on a weekly basis fresh revelations have been coming out not only from Alder Hey but also from the University of Liverpool.

‘‘The fact is that the parents have had to deal not only with the removal and retention of their child’s organs but the disgraceful manner in which they have been treated by the hospital and the University since the information came to light.’’

Mr Bradley said that the families needed time to consider the report at length but added: ‘‘It must be remembered that everyone involved in this scandal has already suffered the enormous grief of losing a child.

‘‘The added insult was that parents then discovered that their child had been removed of its organs and in some families more than one child was involved.

‘‘To date, Alder Hey and the University have failed to apologise for the removal and retention of organs without consent, a point which has been highlighted in the Redfern report today.’’

The parents welcomed the announcement that the conduct of Prof van Velzen had been referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

But they called for further investigations into what happened at the hospital before and after his time there.

Mr Bradley said: ‘‘We as parents have been betrayed not only by the clinicians but also by the management past and present.’’

He said the handling of further information should now be taken out of Alder Hey’s control and handed to an independent body.

And there should be further investigation of the role of the pharmaceutical companies over their receiving of body parts and tissue from Alder Hey, he added.

Paula O’Leary, whose son Andrew had organs removed after his death at the hospital in 1981, called for a public inquiry into the scandal.

‘‘This report has been a stepping stone but there are a lot of parents who are not happy with what is in it,’’ she said.

‘‘It says that before 1988 there was only heart and lung collection. I know that is not true.’’

Another member of the pressure group, John O’Hare, said the report had focused almost entirely on Prof van Velzen but he insisted others had been equally at fault.

‘‘His practices were unacceptable and unusual but there were more people who were just as guilty,’’ he said.

Parent Jan Robinson called for action to be taken against former Coroner Roy Barter, who was heavily criticised in the report.

‘‘He has brought disgrace on his office and some sort of action should be taken,’’ she said. ‘‘He ought to have his pension taken away.’’

Robin Makin, solicitor for some of the parents, accused senior NHS managers and the Government of ‘‘sacrificing’’ Alder Hey to divert attention from how early they had known about the scandal.

He said: ‘‘I have information to suggest that they knew about the existence of collection as early as March 1999 - this is nothing short of scandalous.

‘‘The Government has sacrificed Alder Hey because they didn’t want to take the blame for it themselves.’’

Regional director of public health Professor John Ashton said: ‘‘I am very shocked by today’s report because of the extent of what went on.

‘‘What the parents have been through is outrageous and totally despicable. Van Velzen behaved in an extremely criminal way, but what this report also reveals is that within medicine there is a culture of arrogance.’’