NEARLY 100 worried people have called a help-line set-up at the Royal Bolton Hospital in the wake of the Alder Hey organ retention scandal.

Families concerned about whether their loved ones could have been affected in the past, dialled the special number after the full horror of what happened at the Liverpool children's hospital was revealed in January.

Staff managed to ease the concerns of the majority of callers and are still looking into- older cases to ensure they are giving accurate information.

Health chiefs at the Royal Bolton Hospital have always said it does not retain organs once the cause of death has been established, either for teaching or research purposes.

Beverley Andrew, Director of Operations, said although the issue had mainly involved teaching hospitals and medical schools, many local families had also been upset.

She added: "It has brought back a lot of pain for them. The majority of enquiries in Bolton are straightforward, but some, especially those going back many years are harder to trace.

Accurate

"We are looking into every case thoroughly and sensitively so that we can give relatives accurate information."

The Government has now established a Retained Organs Commission to oversee action in the NHS.

It has asked Trusts not to provide details to relatives until their information collecting systems have been checked and verified.

The Commission has given Trusts an assurance that urgent action is being taken to ensure that this verification is undertaken as quickly as possible so that updated information can be given to families.

Every health trust in the country was required to set up a help-line to look into enquiries from concerned relatives following the report, chaired by Michael Redfern QC.

It was open for more than three days, from 8am to 8pm.

Bolton couple Denise and Bill Green, of Hulton Avenue, Walkden, were victims of the scandal at Alder Hey.

The couple's 18-month-old son William died in 1994 after an operation to solve a heart problem. It was not until last year they found out several organs had been retained.