There are certain assurances we take for granted when a loved one dies. We assume dignity. We assume care. Above all, we assume that the person in the casket is the person we came to mourn. In Glasgow this week, that basic assumption collapsed.
In what is being called a catastrophic failure of protocol, the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital has admitted to cremating the wrong body. The mix-up, attributed to “human error” within the mortuary, wasn’t caught until it was too late. The result is a tragedy that touches two separate households: one family has unknowingly held a funeral for a stranger, while another has been robbed of the chance to say a proper goodbye, their relative cremated before they could be laid to rest.
We don’t yet know exactly how the mistake happened, but the damage is undeniable. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has admitted to the error, offering a statement that they are “deeply sorry” for the distress. However, for the families living through this nightmare, a corporate apology likely feels woefully inadequate. The board has moved fast to suspend the staff responsible and launch a probe, but for those left grieving, the promise of an internal report offers very little real comfort.
Dr. Scott Davidson, the medical director, acknowledged that while strict ID checks exist on paper, they simply weren’t followed. “We have identified that our robust processes… have not been adhered to,” he noted. It’s an admission that safety nets are only as good as the people operating them.
A Breach of Faith
Errors in hospitals usually involve the living—missed diagnoses, surgical slips. But a mistake in the mortuary hits a different nerve. It feels like a violation of the final duty of care. Politicians have been quick to react, with calls for a wider review of how mortuary services are enduring the current strain on the NHS.
Ultimately, this isn’t about politics or protocols; it’s about closure. A funeral is the first step in processing grief. To have that moment tainted by a case of mistaken identity is a cruelty that no apology can really fix. The hospital says it is supporting the families, but rebuilding trust after something this fundamental goes wrong is going to take a long time.