Carlisle hospital launches probe after wrong body buried at funeral

The North Cumbria Integrated Care Foundation NHS Trust has launched an investigation after a mistake led to a funeral service burying the wrong person.

According to the Cumberland News and Star, a man was mistakenly buried at St Mary’s Church in Rockcliffe village, near Carlisle on Monday 6 July.

Reports suggest the mistake was found when staff at the mortuary of Carlisle’s Cumberland Infirmary contacted the funeral directors and asked when the body of the man meant to be buried at Rockcliffe would be collected.

After the incident was uncovered the body was exhumed on 15 July and the body was then rightfully cremated on 20 July. The man which then should have been buried in the original service was interred on the same day as the exhumation.

A spokeswoman for North Cumbria Integrated Care Foundation NHS Trust told the paper: “We are supporting the funeral directors to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the families at what is already a difficult time.

“We are undertaking an internal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident and will share the findings with the families once this is complete.”