HEALTH chiefs have launched an investigation to establish why human tissue samples were held at a North-East hospital.

It is understood the samples relate to cases where police have been involved following deaths.

South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust is working with Northumbria Police to establish why samples were kept at South Tyneside District Hospital for longer than would seem appropriate.

Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Vanessa Jardine said: “First of all I would like to express my condolences to the families who have been affected. This is understandably an incredibly emotive issue and we recognise it has caused a huge amount of upset and angst to those involved.”

The force is contacting relatives of 26 people from the region after organs and tissue samples were removed without the knowledge of their families. Meanwhile, officers from Cleveland Police are getting touch with the families of 13 people.

Ms Jardine said: “It is with regret that the samples were not identified sooner and this is a matter that ourselves and the hospital have taken incredibly seriously. We fully recognise the importance of carefully managing the retention and storage of human tissue samples collected for investigative purposes to ensure they are obtained, and retained and disposed of, in line with the Human Tissue Act.”

The remains were found during an audit at the hospital in South Shields in March 2015. The Human Tissue Authority (HTA) said it was mainly tissue samples that were taken, but that a number of cases involved whole organs.

Ken Bremner, chief executive of South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I want to express my sincere apologies to the families involved for the distress and anxiety that this will have caused. We are currently in the process of reviewing the circumstances around the storage of these samples.

“A review of this nature, covering a time period that goes back over a number of years, will, unfortunately, take some time to conclude. I would like to assure the relatives that we will do all we can to complete our enquiries as soon as possible.”