Alder Hey: Tarnished centre of excellence

LIVERPOOL, England - Alder Hey Childrens' Hospital has long been seen as a centre of excellence with a world-renowed reputation.

The dedication of its staff was documented in a UK television documentary but with the publication of the damning Redfern report there are now fears that that reputation will be tarnished for years to come.

The report accuses senior staff of lying to parents and falsifying records as thousands of body parts were secretly removed from deceased children -- often without parents knowing and sometimes against their express wishes.

The Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital -- the largest of its kind in northern Europe -- has been treating sick children from Merseyside and beyond since 1914.

Always at the forefront of clinical and medical research, it pioneered heart surgery on children in the 1940s and 1950s and had an enviable reputation for patient care and innovative life-saving treatments.

In 1993 it became only the second hospital in Britain to offer accommodation to parents of its young in-patients and pioneered the National Bereavement Counselling Service offering support to families who lost their children.

Alder Hey treats children from some 20 health authorities in the north west of England as well as Wales, Shropshire and the Isle of Man.

It remains an important regional centre for 20 specialist services including cardiology, neonatal and infant cardiac surgery, cystic fibrosis and cancer treatment.

In November 1999, it launched a £10 million ($15 million) appeal for a new oncology and outpatients department.

Many of the parents caught up in the Alder Hey organs controversy happily testify to the excellent treatment and loving care afforded to their late children.

But most are highly critical of the way management dealt with the body parts scandal.

It was in March last year that Alder Hey admitted accidentally disposing of the organs of Stephen White.

Other revelations emerged, leading parents to complain of "constantly being battered by new disasters."

In August last year, further organs were discovered and Ed Bradley, acting chairman of parents' support group Pity II said: "We wonder how much more parents will have to take."

Some of the families are now considering pursuing civil and criminal actions against those they feel responsible for the scandal and there are demands that those at fault be brought to justice.

But the vast majority want the hospital to learn from its mistakes to make sure there is never another Alder Hey scandal.

Solicitor Ian Cohen, who represents Pity II, said: "Everybody would like to see Alder Hey come through this and restore its good name but they have a long way to go.

"Nobody is looking to do long-term damage to the reputation of Alder Hey."

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Alder Hey Children's Hospital
British Medical Association
Bristol Royal Infirmary

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