The Inspector of Burial, Cremation and Funeral Directors is currently investigating six cases following the suspension of staff at the NHS morgue.
A Glasgow super hospital is under external probe after its mortuary wrongly released six bodies and wrongly cremated one.
Queen Elizabeth University Hospital’s mortuary department has released the body of the wrong person six times since the facility opened, and cremated the wrong person, leading to five complaints into NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGCC).
The SNP Government opened the £1bln super hospital in 2015 to ministers’ jubilation but has been hit with various issues that sparked a public inquiry after cancer patients contracted rare bugs while being treated there.
The Scottish Mail On Sunday revealed that mortuary staff were suspended last December pending an investigation after a corpse mix-up, which resulted in the family cremating someone who wasn’t their relative.
It was only discovered at the funeral taken place as another family had been left without their loved one’s remains, reports Scottish Daily Express.
Scottish Conservative health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: “At a time when families are grieving, these shocking blunders cause significant distress. One incident is too many. Six is scandalous. Police Scotland should investigate this matter.”
Scottish Labour health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said: “This is a concerning revelation, and it will no doubt worry families who have lost loved ones at the QEUH.
“The release of a body in error would undoubtedly be distressing, and my sympathies extend to all those who have been affected.
“This is not the first time this has happened, and urgent steps must be taken by the hospital and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to ensure it does not happen again.”
NHSGCC confirmed six people have been incorrectly released after their deaths following five complaints being submitted since 2015.
It added that the health board has launched an internal prove into the mistake that resulted in the wrong person being cremated last year while it is also being probed by the Inspector of Burial, Cremation and Funeral Directors.
A health board spokesman said: “NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde offers a sincere apology to the affected families. We recognise the additional distress this has caused and are committed to learning from these incidents to strengthen our processes.”
It comes after measures taken by the Scottish Government to ensure the hospital was built in accordance with met expected standards were “inadequate,” according to a note published by the Scottish Hospitals inquiry.
In last week’s “supplementary note,” lawyers to the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry said ministers did not become aware of water and ventilation system issues at the QEUH until 2018 or 2019.
They said any pressure from the Government on NHSGGC to open the facility on time and on budget in 2015 had therefore been made in ignorance of these issues.
But the note questioned the steps taken by the Government to ensure the hospital was built in compliance with Scottish Health Technical Memoranda (SHTM), which set out best practice in the design of healthcare facilities.
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