A Scottish hospital mistakenly cremated the wrong body and buried another incorrectly after staff errors led to mislabeling, according to reports from the BBC, Sky News and The Guardian.
The incident took place at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, one of Scotland’s largest hospitals. The mix-ups were only discovered after both the cremation and the burial had already happened, the outlets reported.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s medical director, Dr. Scott Davidson, issued an apology to the affected families, the BBC, Sky News and The Guardian said.
In a statement shared with the outlets, Davidson said, “We have very rigorous processes for the identification and labelling of bodies from arrival in our mortuaries until their release into the care of an undertaker.”
He added, “It is of deep regret that these processes have not been adhered to on this occasion, and that as a result two families have been caused significant additional distress at an already very difficult time.”
Davidson said an investigation has been launched and that steps will be taken to prevent a repeat. He also told the BBC the errors are believed to have been the result of human mistake, and that the staff members involved have been suspended.
Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, built in 2015, has also been under scrutiny in separate investigations related to infection outbreaks and concerns involving water and ventilation systems, according to the BBC and The Guardian.
A spokesperson for the Scottish government told the BBC it was “deeply concerned” by the cremation incident and offered condolences to the families involved.
“We wish to express our sincere condolences to the families involved with this terrible incident,” the spokesperson said. “We have been clear with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde that they must fully investigate the circumstances.”
The spokesperson added that the government would review findings from the senior inspector of burial, cremation and funeral directors once available.
Representatives for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and the Scottish government did not respond to a request for comment on Saturday, Dec. 27.
