Second body left at Glasgow hospital

A second body has been left on a ward for an extended period of time at a Glasgow hospital.

However, the actions of staff have been defended by Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS Board.

It confirmed a body was left on a ward at Glasgow's Royal Infirmary for between seven and eight hours last week. The case comes just one week after it emerged a body had been left on a ward in Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow, for around seven hours in June.

The latest example emerged after a member of the public contacted the press. They said their relative was on a four-bed ward and claimed that a body had been left from lunchtime until about 9pm.

A spokesperson for board said: 'It was the wishes of the grieving family that the body remain on the ward so that family members could pay their last respects and await a blessing by a priest. As the priest was only able to attend some four hours after being notified of the death and visiting time had already begun, it would have been inappropriate for staff to have moved the body at this time.'

The board insisted that hospital staff had acted in the best interests of the grieving family.