New rules will cover removal of tissue samples

More than 1,500 people discovered the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford had kept human tissues without consent after an inquiry three years ago.

Hospital staff are expected to join the relatives who are still coming to terms with their grief.

The Bishop of Oxford, the Right Reverend Richard Harries will conduct the service at Dorchester Abbey.

Sharon Murrant, committee secretary for Legacy Faborio, a support group which represents families in the county who have been affected by the scandal, believes the service will allow people "to find a form of closure".

She said: "Some of them were not given the chance to have a second funeral because the tissues and organs had already been disposed of.

Compensation demands

"The service allows them to say a final goodbye to their loved ones.

"It also gives the hospital a chance to acknowledge the pain it has caused and for staff who have been on an incredible emotional rollercoaster dealing with all the families to have some 'closure' too."

Up to 200 hundred families from across the region are members of Legacy, which was established in 2002.

The Alder Hey scandal, which came to light in the 1990s, led to an audit across the health service which had prompted hundreds more families to come forward demanding compensation.

Parents discovered that in some cases, following the death of their children in hospital, the bodies had been returned for burial or cremation without one or more internal organs.

'Comfort from service'

All the families say that they had no idea that their relatives' organs had been removed and retained by doctors.

The Human Tissue Bill currently going through Parliament aims to prevent future organ scandals by making consent the cornerstone of legislation.

Mrs Murrant added: "There is still a lot of unclaimed tissue in hospitals because there are still a lot of people unaware they have been affected.

"Certainly, a lot of the families will find the service a comfort."