Grieving mum ‘gets no closure’ as baby’s ashes scattered at the wrong crematorium

A mum has been left distraught after finding out her baby’s ashes were scattered at the wrong crematorium.

Claire Graham, 40, said she cannot get closure after her miscarriage due to the devastating blunder.

The mum from West Lothian, Scotland, had a miscarriage on November 30 last year when she was just seven weeks pregnant.

Claire had gone to a private scan with her partner Craig, 31, when she was 10 weeks pregnant.

She received the heartbreaking news her baby had died at seven weeks and three days in the womb.

The mum was kept in overnight at St John’s hospital in Livingston where doctors told her they could arrange for ashes to be scattered at nearby Adambrae Cemetery in Livingston, close to Claire and partner Craig’s home in Blackburn.

The couple visited the cemetery and laid down flowers for their little one, reports Daily Record.

But Claire was left horrified after she contacted the council about a remembrance plant and was told her baby’s ashes had actually been scattered at Edinburgh’s Morton Hall crematorium.

Claire, who also has a 12-year-old daughter, told the Daily Record: “We were just heartbroken. When we found out it was the wrong place I started sobbing in the car, Craig was there and he was really upset too.

“We went and put flowers down and the ashes weren’t even there.

“It wasn’t until I contacted the council about having a remembrance bush to be planted that I was told the ashes weren’t there.”

She continued: “I felt as if, because I wasn’t over 24 weeks it was treated as if it didn’t matter.

“Because we could hear the baby’s heartbeat at the first scan I was so happy, so when I was told it was no longer there I was devastated.”

She added: “I just feel there’s been no closure for us.”

Mortonhall in Edinburgh is too far for Claire to regularly travel and she says if she had been informed of the location she would have chosen to take the ashes home instead.

Due to lockdown restrictions advising not to travel outside council areas, the pupil support worker has now been unable to visit her baby in Edinburgh.

She said: “I have no way of getting there and I would never have agreed to that. I would have taken my baby home if I had known.

“I’ve still not managed to get through to Edinburgh where they took the ashes because of covid and the lockdown restrictions.

“The whole thing has been horrible. I would have been going for my 12 week scan this month.”

Claire and Craig made a formal complaint to NHS Lothian and also contacted West Lothian Council but say they have been left without answers or an apology from the healthboard.

She said: “I have heard nothing from anyone since before Christmas. We feel we have been completely misled and kept in the dark.”

NHS Lothian told the Daily Record they could not discuss individual patients without consent, however they sent a statement to offer sympathies to the family.

Professor Alex McMahon, Nurse Director, NHS Lothian, said: “We would extend our sympathies to the family involved, however, we are unable to discuss the care of individual patients without their consent. As with all cases, when we receive a complaint, we will investigate thoroughly and present the findings to the patients.”

Daily Star has contacted West Lothian and Edinburgh City Council for comment.