WHY?

The issue of the blocks and slides has been going on for months. For those of you new to the group, small samples of tissue were taken from children's organs for further analysis. These were put into wax blocks (about the size of a book of matches) and then very thin slices taken to put on glass slides so they could be examined under a microscope.

Usually these were taken at the time of post mortem, but at Alder Hey if this hadn't happened they took samples before they released the organs to parents for a second funeral.

The hospital has now agreed that the blocks and slides that were taken prior to the release of the organs to families for burial or cremation in late 1999/2000 can be returned to families if they ask.

This does not apply to blocks and slides taken at the time of post mortem - they will not let you have them back. Ian Cohen of Goodman's has been trying to get Lord Hunt, the Minister for Health to agree that the hospital must release all the blocks and slides that families ask for.

The hospital will consider this again when the Chief Medical Officer's national report on organ retention is published, so if you want to have your child's blocks and slides returned to you for a further burial or cremation you may want to wait until this is finally resolved.

The hospital has said that they will not pay for funerals just for blocks and slides.

PITY II (Parents who have Interred Their Young Twice) is the parents' support group set up in the wake of the organ retention scandal
at Alder Hey Hospital (Liverpool, UK). It aims to provide self help support and advice to affected families.

Keywords: PITY II, pity II, pity ii, PITY 2, PITY2, pity 2, pity2, Never Again, never again,
Liverpool, liverpool, organ, retention, alder hey, heart, inquiry, Redfern, redfern, scandal, support, blocks, slides