A grieving family is demanding action after being shocked by the condition of a Moray mortuary.
Frank Whyte was killed in a freak boating accident while cruising off Findhorn Bay earlier this year.
The 69-year-old’s distraught family – widow Maryan and daughters Sharon and Natalie – were taken to Spynie Mortuary, near Elgin, to identify him, and were horrified to discover the conditions there.
They said it failed to provide basic comforts such as a room for loved ones to sit and say their goodbyes – and revealed they even had to enter through a garage door.
NHS Grampian has since apologised, and made arrangements for all identifications now to be carried out at Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin.
But Mrs Whyte, of Forres, and her two daughters are now calling for the condition of all mortuaries across Scotland to be checked to prevent other families going through their own “traumatic” experience.
Mr Whyte’s oldest daughter, Sharon Robertson, said when they arrived at Spynie, they walked right into the room where his body was, meaning they had no time to prepare themselves.
The 43-year-old said: “It was a derelict place, we were taken around the back of what looked like an outbuilding and faced with a double garage door.
“Within two steps of entering it we were confronted with the body in front of us.
“There was no preparation room where we could compose ourselves, or even a toilet. It’s wrong to put any family through that.
“There was no respect or compassion for the bereaved or the deceased.”
After their experience, the family met local councillors and representatives from Police Scotland and NHS Grampian to voice their distress.
Mrs Whyte, who was married to the popular joiner for 46 years, said she was pleased alternative arrangements had already been made but said more needed to be done to protect other families.
“To think of my husband being in such a place has left me with such a desolate feeling,” she said.
“That viewings in Moray are now taking place at Dr Gray’s instead of Spynie is a step in the right direction.
“But it seems that, across Scotland, provision is poor and we are calling for the standards of mortuaries across the country to be checked to ensure that they meet national guidelines.
“We don’t want other families to go through the traumatic experience we did.”
Chief officer for the Moray Integrated Joint Health Board, Pam Gowans, said: “Once we were contacted by Mr Whyte’s family we apologised and acted promptly with our partners in the police to ensure there would be no repeat of what was clearly a distressing situation.
“Alternative arrangements were put in place locally, so that loved ones are viewed at Dr Gray’s Hospital mortuary.”
Moray MSP Richard Lochhead has now vowed to raise the issue at Holyrood.
“It is clear Mrs Whyte and her family’s experience was very distressing, and compounded a very difficult time for them,” he said.
“No-one would want to go through what they had to, and the experience of bereaved families must be always at the forefront of the authorities’ minds.”
Mr Whyte grew up in Findhorn and was well-known for his passion for sailing and his woodwork skills.
He died on May 21, when his 20ft Drascombe Lugger capsized when the weather turned suddenly.
The family is urging anyone who has experienced a similar situation to e-mail them via mortuaryformoray@gmail.com to help them build up their campaign.
