Reviews / 2001
The Royal Liverpool Children's Inquiry
Michael Redfern KC · work from 1999 · published 2001
What this was
Inquiry into the removal, retention and disposal of human tissue at Alder Hey and related practice elsewhere. Families had not agreed to what happened to their children's organs.
Why it sits in the hub
It turned consent and respect for families after a death into a national requirement, through the Human Tissue Act 2004 and a different approach to post-mortem practice.
Findings
Finding 1
Organs and tissue were retained from children without the knowledge or agreement of parents.
Finding 2
Hospital systems and professional practice had normalised a failure to ask.
Recommendations in this hub
Paraphrase of the public recommendations, not the official text.
- 1AcceptedGovernment
Require explicit consent for the retention and use of tissue after death.
The Human Tissue Act 2004 and the Human Tissue Authority followed.
- 2AcceptedHospitals
Return retained tissue where families ask, and be open about what is held.