After 20 minutes the nurse came back and said there had been a terrible mistake. She said the patient in the bed opposite my dad had died

Jim Corr, son of Jimmy

The family spent 20 minutes calling relatives to break the sad news until the nurse returned to tell them there had been a terrible mistake.

One of the couple's three children, Jim Corr, 49, from Jarrow, said: "My mum got a call from the hospital on Sunday saying he had taken a turn for the worse.

"She went down there with my son and his wife where a nurse told them that he had died. I arrived shortly afterwards to find my son in a hell of a state.

"We sat in the side room crying and a few other family started to arrive.

"I was given a phone to use and started to ring around relatives to break the news.

"After 20 minutes the nurse came back and said there had been a terrible mistake. She said the patient in the bed opposite my dad had died and she must have picked up the wrong file.

Angry

"I had to leave the hospital because I was so angry and had to get back on the phone to tell everyone he was alive.

"My daughter-in-law said afterwards that she thought she had seen my dad watching TV in the day room, but dismissed it, thinking it must have been someone just like him as he was dead.

"He had only suffered a minor stroke and was being kept in under observation. We didn't think it was life threatening.

"I'm just glad that we hadn't got on to the stage of official identification because otherwise I would have been taken in only to find out that the body there wasn't my dad's."

Mrs Corr has told her husband about the error, but Mr Corr junior says he is too confused to understand as a result of the stroke.

He said the family would be seeking legal advice to ensure such a mistake did not happen to another family.

A statement issued by South Tyneside Health Care Trust said: "We can confirm that on Sunday, June 18, the family of a patient at South Tyneside District Hospital was incorrectly informed that he had died.

"A full internal investigation is under way. Our most sincere apologies have been offered to the relations for this most regrettable error."