Alder Hey doctors reported to GMC

Doctors criticised in the Alder Hey inquiry have been referred to the General Medical Council

A number of doctors named in the report into the organ scandal at Alder Hey Children's Hospital have been reported to the General Medical Council.

Estimates in one national newspaper suggest as many as 16 have been referred to the GMC by the Chief Medical Officer Professor Liam Donaldson.

The Redfern inquiry, published in January, said thousands of dead children had had organs removed at the Liverpool hospital over seven years, without their parents consent.

In some cases, it was many years after their child's death that parents learnt organs had been kept.

Some families have had to have funeral after funeral as lungs, brains, hearts and other organs were returned to them.

At the same time as the Redfern inquiry reported, Professor Donaldson warned there may be over 100,000 organs stored in hospitals across England.

Van Velzen

Professor Dick van Velzen, head of foetal and infant pathology at Alder Hey between 1988 and 1995, was named by the Redfern report as being at the centre of the scandal.

In February, the GMC suspended him.

The council's professional conduct committee will now begin an investigation into Professor van Velzen's work. If found guilty of serious professional misconduct he could be permanently erased from the medical register.

Health secretary Alan Milburn said doctors named in the Redfern report would be referred to the GMC when he responded to the report in the House of Commons on January 30.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said: "The report of the inquiry into Alder Hey was passed to the GMC by the Department of Health drawing attention to the fact that it made criticisms of a number of doctors.

"The GMC consideration of the report led to the decision to impose an interim suspension on Dr van Velzen.

"It is for the GMC to assess whether criticisms made of other doctors in the report warrant any further action."

The department would not confirm how many doctors had been referred.

A GMC spokesman said it was "unique" for the chief medical officer to refer doctors.

She added: "Alder Hey was not an every day set of circumstances.

"It was an inquiry set up by the Secretary of State so we are not surprised the chief medical officer wants to bring matters to our attention."

Referrals to the doctors' regulatory body more usually come from hospital trusts and health authorities.

The Redfern inquiry report said "managerial inadequacy" had been a factor in the scandal.

At the time four NHS staff, including the chief executive of Alder Hey, Hilary Rowlands, were suspended.

The report names a number of doctors, but it is not yet clear which of them has been referred to the GMC.

The referral of a doctor to the council does not imply they are guilty.

Dr Michael Goodman, deputy chairman of the BMA's consultants committee told The Independent he was concerned about the GMC referrals.

"I hope it is not political and the chief medical officer has been careful and thoughtful about who he thought necessary to refer to the GMC.

"We need to make sure the chief medical officer is not allowing the good name of his office to be part of any politically-motivated which-hunt."