An unborn baby’s brain was used by an Oxford medical student without its parents’ permission.
The student at the John Radcliffe Hospital used the foetal brain in a research project despite no consent for such use being in place.
Permission had only been given for “education, medical record and genetics”.
The mistake, made in August last year, has only just been published by the national regulator, the Human Tissue Authority (HTA).
It came in response to a Freedom of Information request asking for details of “reportable incidents” across the country in 2016.
The information also listed another incident last July, where “human error resulted in the mix-up of brains”.
The HTA said it released the details of the incidents because they “could result in adverse publicity that may lead to damage in public confidence.”
Allan Marriott-Smith, Chief Executive of the HTA, told Cherwell: “Mistakes such as these should never happen, but when they do the Human Tissue Authority works with establishments to ensure that any risks to the dignity of the deceased are identified through a thorough investigation of the incident, and are addressed through effective changes to mortuary procedures and training of staff.”
“Incidents usually happen as a result of error, and our focus is on ensuring that staff are competent to undertake their duties,” he added.
The incident was one of 83 “reportable incidents” from last year, released by the HTA.
The John Radcliffe Hospital is the main teaching hospital for Oxford University, Brookes, and the Oxford Medical School. It was founded in 1973.
