IT'S the letter you never expect to receive.

When John Elwell picked up his post last week, among the usual bills and junk mail, he was stunned to receive a letter telling him he was dead.

The administrative error by the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospital confused Mr Elwell with his uncle, Joseph, who had sadly passed away at the hospital.

"My wife opened the letter and it was a bit of a shock to see Mr John Elwell (deceased)' on the top," said Mr Elwell.

"It has caused a lot of distress.

"Just four weeks after my uncle died you get a letter like this.

"I haven't a clue why my name was on it and I have had no written apology yet."

Mr Elwell actually lives in Ripon in North Yorkshire, but had been down to visit his sick uncle at the hospital. A spokeswoman from The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said procedures were in place for checking the accuracy of patient details.

"Very regrettably, the mistake was not picked up on this occasion," she said.

"We will take a close look at our procedure to ensure patient details are correct when responding to complaints.

"We are sorry for any upset that has been caused to Mr John Elwell and his family. A member of staff has spoken to Mr Elwell directly to apologise for the error and an apology has now been put in writing."