A hospital has issued an apology after a family mistakenly cremated the wrong body following a labelling error that was only discovered once the funeral had already taken place.
The incident occurred at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, where morgue staff released an incorrectly labelled body to funeral directors. By the time the mistake was identified, the cremation had already been carried out.
As a result, one family believed they were laying their loved one to rest, while another was left without the opportunity to hold a proper funeral.
The case, first reported by the Scottish Sun, left the families involved devastated. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said the error was due to human failure and confirmed the staff involved have been suspended pending an investigation.
Medical director Dr Scott Davidson apologized to both families, acknowledging that established identification procedures were not followed. He said the health board has launched an immediate investigation and will apply lessons from the incident to prevent it from happening again.