A MOTHER whose unborn baby was disposed of in an NHS bin has accused the hospital of treating her child like a piece of rubbish.

Sarah Biggart lost her son through miscarriage, and he was found in a clinical waste bin at Monklands Hospital in North Lanarkshire in March.

It was only made known to the public after a whistleblower came forward.

Ms Biggart said: "It's unbearable to lose a baby but for his body to be thrown away like a bit of rubbish is horrifying."

The 33-year-old was being treated at Monklands Hospital for depression when she suffered a miscarriage on March 14, just 13 weeks into her pregnancy.

She requested that the remains of her baby be cremated but later learned what had happened to his body when a doctor came to see her a few days later.

Ms Biggart said: "He told me my baby had been thrown into a clinical waste bin - and then he upped my medication. Although it was a shock to be told the way I was, it was better than never learning the truth."

"I'm still deeply distressed but I'm determined to do all I can to make sure nobody else has to go through something like this."

Health Secretary Alex Neil, who is also Ms Biggart's local MSP, said: "I'm still waiting for NHS Lanarkshire to tell me why this happened. It's a tragedy for anyone to lose a baby but for this to happen afterwards is unacceptable."

Monklands Hospital has issued an apology and has launched an investigation.

NHS Lanarkshire said: "We regret any incident where a patient feels they have not received appropriate care."

The Scottish Government said: "We expect NHS boards to ensure lessons are learned."