Mortuary has released six wrong bodies since hospital opened

Six bodies have been wrongly released by the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow since it opened in 2015.

In one case reported in December, mortuary staff had given an incorrectly labelled corpse to undertakers - a mistake that was only realised after it had been cremated.

Now, as originally reported by the Times newspaper, BBC Scotland News has learned a further five mix-ups have happened since 2015.

The NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board said that no funerals were held with those bodies.

A spokesperson said: "NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde offers a sincere apology to the affected families.

"We recognise the additional distress this has caused and are committed to learning from these incidents to strengthen our processes."

The case in December meant that one family were denied the chance to have their relative's remains for a funeral.

On this occasion, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde blamed human error and said that the staff involved had been suspended.

The Inspector of Burial, Cremation and Funeral Directors has investigated the matter.

Since it opened, the campus including the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) and the Royal Hospital for Children has been plagued with problems.

It was built at a cost of £840m, replacing three older hospitals in the city.

A number of deaths and high levels of infections among patients, including 84 children, led to concerns about the water and ventilation systems.

It prompted the launch of a public inquiry in 2019, which looked into the design, build, commissioning and maintenance of the hospital, as well as the impact on patient safety. It heard from 186 witnesses.

The inquiry concluded in January and there is now a clearer picture of what went on at the hospital, though it is still disputed.

Among the key findings were that the water system probably caused infections and that the hospital opened before it was ready.

Lord Brodie will publish a full report and recommendations at a later date, though there is no deadline for this.

Further problems at the hospital have emerged in recent weeks.

An adult bone marrow unit had to be partially closed at the beginning of March after an alert was raised about "potential water ingress".

Mould growth was then found in one of the sealed rooms.

The health board is now making moves to rebuild the cancer ward, which it said was "necessary" to ensure it was more resilient and fully compliant with legal guidance.

It said this work would take "significant time and investment".