King's Lynn woman cries after being told husband was dead when he was alive

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Ursula Freeman, 79, burst into tears, along with her daughter, Elaine
When Dennis, a granddad of 12, walked in, he was completely bewildered
Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn has apologised for the mistake
Doctors got Dennis mixed up with another patient at the hospital

Published: 04:33 EST, 23 November 2015 | Updated: 06:25 EST, 23 November 2015

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A grandmother has spoken of her shock at being greeted by her husband in a hospital, just moments after doctors had told her he had died.

Ursula Freeman, 79, burst into tears, along with her daughter, Elaine Faxton, 53, when medics at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn told her that Dennis, 81, her husband of 60 years, had died.

Dennis, a granddad of 12, said that when he walked into the room they were in, he was completely bewildered.

He walked in and asked: 'What's happening here?'

Mrs Freeman told The Sun: 'It feels like my husband has come back from the dead. When they said he was dead, I felt sick. I wanted to die myself. We've been married 60 years. My daughter asked if they had the right man and they said, "Err ... no".'

Dr Beverley Watson, Medical Director at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn, said: 'We have apologised to the family for the distress caused by this mistake.

'As soon as the Doctor realised they were speaking to the wrong family they explained what had happened and the patient was invited into the room to reassure them.'

A similar mix-up occurred earlier this year a Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester.

Liz Page was shown the body of a woman she was told was her mother, Phyllis Lilley, and even kissed her forehead during a visit to the hospital.

But the hospital later phoned Mrs Page, 61, and admitted they had made a mistake and her mother was actually recovering on a nearby ward.

Mrs Lilley was rushed into the hospital after suffering a stroke and bleeding in her brain and her daughter spent the evening at her bedside.

Dr Beverley Watson, Medical Director at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn (pictured), said: 'We have apologised to the family for the distress caused by this mistake'

After she went home for the night, she was phoned at 4.50am and told that her mother had died.

But after visiting the hospital the following day and starting to make funeral plans, she was told her mother was in fact recovering elsewhere in the hospital. Mrs Lilley is now living in a care home.

Blundering medics made the error after looking at the file of another patient with a similar name who was also being treated at the Dorset County Hospital.

A spokesman for the hospital said: 'A full investigation was conducted at the time into the events which led to this unacceptable situation.

'Mrs Page made a complaint to the Trust and received a full explanation and apology from the Chief Executive. Mrs Page also met with senior managers to understand the outcomes of the investigation.

'The Trust has changed its procedures following this incident. We are extremely sorry for the distress caused to Mrs Page and her family.

'The staff involved were also very upset by what happened and lessons have been learnt to prevent this from happening again. Nothing of this nature has happened since this incident 18 months ago.'