IT’S DEAD WRONG
Family cremated a stranger after mortuary mix-up
MISTAKEN IDENTITY Probe launched
THE grieving family of a coronavirus victim cremated the wrong body after a hospital mortuary mix-up.
The unnamed man died on June 1 and his corpse was put in a body bag.
When funeral directors went to pick up the body the wrong one was taken.
The family cremated the stranger’s body on June 4, but the next day their relative was found to be still in the mortuary during an audit at Frimley Park Hospital in Camberley, Surrey.
There followed a frantic call to Co-op Funeral Care in Hook, Hants.
A source said: “They rang and said, ‘We need that body, bring it back here.
You’ve taken another person by mistake’. And they had to tell them, ‘Sorry, the cremation was done yesterday’.”
The source added: “Because he was a Covid patient, he would have been in a body bag and the staff would have worn protective gear to open it up.” The name and date of birth on the outside of the
Kate at last year’s Wimbledon bag are meant to match details on the NHS wristlet, its understood.
The funeral firm had to tell the family they had said goodbye to the wrong person, while the hospital broke the news to the cremated person’s relatives.
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust apologised and is investigating.
Co-op Funeralcare said: “Whilst it is the responsibility of hospital staff to identify and release the correct individual from their premises, these are exceptionally challenging times and we have supported Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust with an investigation.”