A major NHS hospital has released the wrong deceased person six times in a series of mortuary blunders — with one grieving family unknowingly cremating a stranger. The shocking failures at Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital have sparked calls for a police investigation after it emerged that identification procedures were repeatedly ignored.
Five formal complaints have been lodged with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) since the £1billion “super-hospital” opened in 2015. In total, six bodies are understood to have been incorrectly released to funeral directors. In the most serious case, a family went through an entire funeral and cremation believing they were saying goodbye to their relative — only for the devastating truth to emerge afterwards. The error left another family without their loved one’s remains.
The remaining five incidents were discovered before funerals took place, preventing further irreversible mistakes, reported the Daily Mail.
The revelations add to a long-running catalogue of controversies at the flagship hospital, which has already faced intense scrutiny over patient safety concerns and a public inquiry linked to infections.
Scottish Conservative MSP Dr Sandesh Gulhane branded the incidents “unforgivable” and said police must now step in.
He said: “One incident is too many. Six is scandalous. At a time when families are grieving, these shocking blunders cause significant distress. Police Scotland should investigate this matter.”
Labour’s health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie warned the errors would alarm bereaved families across Scotland.
She added: “The release of a body in error would undoubtedly be distressing. This is not the first time this has happened, and urgent steps must be taken to ensure it does not happen again.”
One previously reported case saw a grieving granddaughter left traumatised after her grandmother’s body was handed to the wrong funeral director. The remains had to be retrieved after being mistakenly released to a company the family had not appointed.
NHSGGC has apologised for the string of failures, insisting that mortuaries operate “very rigorous” identification and labelling systems—but admitting these safeguards were not followed in the incidents.
Medical director Dr Scott Davidson said: “It is a matter of deep regret that families have suffered additional distress.”
An internal investigation remains ongoing into the cremation mix-up, while Scotland’s Inspector of Burial, Cremation and Funeral Directors is also examining the case.
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.”
Despite those assurances, the scale and repetition of the errors will inevitably raise serious questions about oversight and accountability at one of Scotland’s largest hospitals.
