The mix-up happened between April 2009 and March 2010 A body had to be dug up and reburied after Harrogate Hospital released the wrong body to a funeral director, a BBC investigation has found.
The mix-up was revealed in a Freedom of Information request about serious untoward incidents at hospitals between January 2009 and October 2010.
It was one of 51 incidents recorded by North Yorkshire’s hospital trusts.
A spokesman for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust refused to comment on the incident.
The mistake happened between April 2009 and March last year.
When it was realised, an application had to be made to the Ministry of Justice for an exhumation licence to dig up the body and rebury it.
The BBC investigation, which focused on the county’s three hospital trusts, also found other incidents including failure to respond appropriately to child protection issues and incorrect equipment being used during surgery.
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