HOSPITAL bosses in the North-East set up help lines last night after admitting that they hold thousands of body parts.

While most organs will have been removed with the relatives' agreement, hospitals admitted that families were not given enough information in the past.

The largest number are concentrated at the Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals Trust which has links with the medical school at Newcastle University.

But hundreds of body parts (between 50 and 499 at each site) are also held by South Durham Healthcare, South Tees Acute, South Tyneside Healthcare, Northumbria Health Care and York Health Services. City Hospitals Sunderland has less than 50 organs.

While North Tees and Hartlepool Trust and North Durham Health Care are not on the official list announced by the Government, managers have also decided to set up help lines.

Most of the organs on Tyneside are part of a Medical Research Council-funded dementia study. Tissue has been obtained with informed consent.

Len Fenwich, chief executive of the Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust, supported the recommendations of the Alder Hey Hospital inquiry. He said: "The trust carries out post-mortems on behalf of the coroner to establish the causes of death and also, where relatives have given consent, in order to support teaching and research. In some cases organs will have been removed and retained for further study.

"In past years, normal procedure did not involve providing detailed information to relatives about this process and I accept that this is no longer appropriate.

"In recent times we have been more open and do explain more about what is happening to family members and carers.

"We appreciate that relatives of those who have sadly died or had post-mortem examinations carried out within our services may be concerned about the possibility of organs having been retained.

"The trust is deeply sorry for any distress which this may have caused."

l The help-lines are: Newcastle trust (0191) 223 1407; North Tees and Hartlepool (01429) 522210; South Durham (01325) 743950; North Durham (0191) 333 2683. York (01904) 454424.