A WORCESTER health boss who has been chosen to look into the stolen hearts scandal says she hopes her role will help parents come to terms with their grief.

Glen Green, chairman of Worcester Community Health Council, has been chosen as a lay member on a review panel which will look into how and why hearts and other organs from dozens of children were kept at Diana, Princess of Wales Children's Hospital in Birmingham without their parents' consent.

The scandal hit the headlines two years ago when parents including several from Worcestershire first found out organs and pieces of tissue had been removed from their children for experiments and had not been replaced.

Many were angry they had buried their beloved children incomplete, and have been pushing for answers ever since.

I think it is very important this process is done with honesty and openness so parents and other people can see what is happening, said Mrs Green.

"We want to produce an unbiased report on what has happened and make sure it doesn't happen in the future.

"It might help some parents come to terms with what has happened and help them deal with it."

Mrs Green, a former nurse with experience of working with children and cancer patients, was nominated to join the team.

She will be liaising with health professionals as well as parents and members of the Stolen Hearts parents' group.

The review will look into the trust's handling of the retained organs issue and how it dealt with relatives.

It will also look into whether it made sure it followed national guidelines set out by the Retained Organs Commission.

The team is chaired by John Adler, chief executive of Sheffield Children's Hospital, who will be joined by Dr Isabella Moore, consultant histopathologist from Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust, Professor John McClure, professor of pathology from Manchester Royal Infirmary, Martyn Forrest, head of information at the NHS regional office and the Rt Rev Mark Santer, Bishop of Birmingham.