Mechanics find body in NHS mortuary van

A staff member has been suspended after a body was discovered in an NHS mortuary van that had been taken to a garage for repairs.

NHS Grampian is investigating the “serious incident”, which happened in Aberdeen. A porter took the vehicle to get a back light repaired but was unaware that a body was still inside.

A spokeswoman for the health board said: “This is a very serious incident and we are dealing with it as a matter of urgency.

“We have very strict processes in place to ensure that we deal sensitively and respectfully with deceased patients. Clearly these did not work on this occasion.

“We have taken immediate action to commission an independent investigation to understand what has gone wrong. Pending this investigation a member of staff has been suspended.”

NHS Grampian said it has apologised to the family of the deceased person and to the garage. “We are deeply sorry for this regrettable incident and we are absolutely committed to taking whatever action is required to ensure that this situation can never happen again.”