A hospital trust has apologised after a nurse contacted a son to tell him his father had died on a ward and took him to the body – but it was the wrong man and the relative’s loved one was still alive.

West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust has apologised to the two families involved in the mix-up, put down as a “tragic human error”.

The blunder appeared in the Serious Incident Report put before the trust’s board members on January 15.

The report states ‘giving bad news to the wrong family – the wrong relative was phoned and told his father had passed away when he hadn’t; he was taken to view the body on his arrival to the ward.’

The report does not state which of the trust’s three hospitals – Watford General, St Albans City and Hemel Hempstead – the mix-up occurred at or when it took place.

Professor Tracey Carter, chief nurse, said: "We have offered our sincere apologies to the two families involved with this incident.

"Our nurse made an extremely rare, human error which had a tragic impact on the families of both patients. The staff member was extremely distressed that they made this error.

"We have reiterated to our staff about the importance of double-checking the name of a patient before calling relatives and at the point they arrive at the hospital."

The incident has been closed by the Clinical Commissioning Group after the trust implemented a ‘simple flow chart’ to assist staff in ensuring they were calling the right family to inform them of a death.

Residents will also now have to confirm the details of their deceased relative on arrival to hospital before they are allowed to view a body.

Watford MP Richard Harrington called the error “completely unacceptable”, adding he would be demanding a full explanation.

He said: “I was not aware of this particular incident but I will be meeting the trust’s new chief executive, Jac Kelly, and asking how exactly this happened because it is completely unacceptable.

“I have regular meetings with the trust, as it is my job to put pressure on the trust on behalf of my constituents and that is exactly what I will continue to do here.”