A health board has been forced to apologise to a grieving family after it emerged that a hospital had given them the wrong body.
The Aneurin Bevan University Health Board discovered the mix-up at The Grange hospital in Cwmbran, South Wales, several months later and had to break the news to the family who had already cremated the body and held a funeral.
The health boards chief executive Nicola Prygodzicz met with the family who had to hold a second funeral two weeks later for the correct body of their deceased relative, paid for by the board.
Health chiefs said they were ‘devastated’ by the error that happened in late 2023 just days before a similar mistake at the hospital, which saw another wrong body cremated.
They blamed the mistakes on ‘human error’ and said that the circumstances surrounding the latest incident are being investigated.
The Aneurin Bevan University Health Board has apologised to the family for the mix-up at the morgue in the Grange Hospital in Cwmbran, South Wales
The health boards chief executive Nicola Prygodzicz met with the family who had to hold a second funeral two weeks later for the correct body of their deceased relative, paid for by the board
They say it is believed that there is no known family of the other patient and this is the reason there has been a delay in this case being identified.
A spokesperson for Aneurin Bevan University Health Board said: ‘We are truly devastated for the family involved in this incident and we are deeply sorry that this has happened in our mortuary.
‘It is with deep regret that this incident occurred within days prior to a similar incident already reported and was due to the same human error.
‘Our initial investigation has just been completed and we are now further investigating the circumstances surrounding this second incident that occurred around the same time in similar circumstances.
‘We have taken appropriate action since November within the mortuary setting and have put in place even more safeguards due to this second case.
‘We have also conducted a retrospective audit to ensure that there are no further cases that mirror this incident and we have also asked the Human Tissue Authority to undertake a follow-up audit on our systems and processes for further reassurance.
‘We have met with the family to fully inform them about this situation and to offer them as much support as they need.
‘We have been informed that there is no known family of the other patient and this is the reason there has been a delay in this case being identified.’