An NHS trust has apologised for incorrectly telling a woman her mother had died amid reports she was shown the wrong body before kissing it goodbye.
Liz Page, 61, was told by Dorset county hospitals NHS foundation trust that her mother, Phyllis Lilley, 94, had died after suffering a stroke. Page told the Sun newspaper she was shown the body of another woman with a similar name to her mother and kissed her on the forehead after bidding her farewell.
Page returned home and was working on funeral arrangements when the trust called her to inform her of their mistake. Her mother, who is now in a care home, is unaware of the blunder.
A spokesman for the trust confirmed that an incident had been reported in March 2014 where Page had been incorrectly informed about her mother’s death.
“A full investigation was conducted at the time into the events which led to this unacceptable situation,” it said. “Mrs Page made a complaint to the trust and received a full explanation and apology from the chief executive. Mrs Page also met with senior managers to understand the outcomes of the investigation.
“The trust has changed its procedures following this incident. We are extremely sorry for the distress caused to Mrs Page and her family. The staff involved were also very upset by what happened and lessons have been learned to prevent this from happening again. Nothing of this nature has happened since this incident 18 months ago.”
