A COUPLE whose baby's organs were retained after his death are fully backing the government's announcement for an inquiry into the hospital concerned.

Thomas and Janet Beardmore, of Rutland Road, in Tyldesley, lost their 16-month-old son, Thomas, six years ago, and have devoted their lives to determining the cause of his death.

Baby Thomas died at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, at Pendlebury, in February 1995. The cause of his death was said to have been meningicoccal septicaemia, but the couple have always doubted this.

Mr Beardmore said: "We've given up everything to get to the bottom of this, it has taken over our lives. We won't give up until we know the truth - the whole truth."

Five years after Thomas's death, during their search for the truth, the Beardmores were shocked to discover that the hospital had retained organs, including the brain, from their dead son.

Mr Beardmore said: "We always knew there was more to it than what we had been told. When they finally admitted they had retained his organs, we felt a sense of shocked relief. But this is something that no-one in the universe can ever put right."

The couple were then disgusted to be told that Thomas's brain had been disposed of as "clinical waste".

Mrs Beardmore said: "Its awful that they can dispose of something that isn't theirs and that we didn't even know they had."

They have have tirelessly fought for an inquiry to be held as they are convinced the hospital has done the same to other parents.

The government has announced that the Retained Organs Commission is to carry out an independent investigation into the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, in Pendlebury, and St Mary's, in central Manchester.

The inquiry will not be held in public, as the Beardmores hoped, but the findings will be published.

Mr Beardmore added: "The best thing that could come out of this now is for the truth to come out and the situation to be resolved, so that it never happens to another child."

The couple, with the full support of their family, are currently seeking permission for baby Thomas's body to be exhumed so they can re-bury him whole.

Health Minister Hazel Blears said: "Following serious allegations and concerns raised by parents and relatives about hospitals within the Central Manchester and Manchester Children's University Hospitals NHS Trust, I have asked the Retained Organs Commission, as an independent statutory body, to carry out an investigation into organ retention in Manchester, with particular emphasis on organs and tissue taken from babies and young children."

A spokesman for the NHS trust said: "We have met on numerous occasions with the families and individuals who have raised concerns and have provided as much information as we have. We hope the independent team from the ROC will be able to help the families understand the processes and procedures involved at the time of their loss.

"Following a full audit of our systems by the Regional Office, which included a check on our handling procedures and a physical search of our hospitals, we have been given 'greenlight' status. This means the Trust has been given permission to release information to parents and families about retention of organ issues.

"We realise this is a very sensitive issue and a distressing time for families, and we have established telephone helplines for parents and families to ring."

The numbers are Manchester Royal Infirmary/St Mary's Hospital - 0161 276 8051; Royal Manchester Children's/Booth Hall Hospitals - 0161 220 5467/5468.