In a remarkable case, two women from the Midlands, England, discovered they were switched at birth after being born in the same hospital in 1967, marking the first documented incident of this nature by the NHS.

The revelation began when Tony, who took a DNA home-testing kit in 2021, found a genetic match with Claire, leading to the discovery that they were born around the same time in the same hospital.

Following the revelation, Tony and Joan had to break the news to Jessica, who had lived her whole life believing she was their biological daughter, resulting in a strained relationship.

Claire's upbringing was marked by poverty and instability, contrasting sharply with the life Jessica experienced with Tony and Joan.

The NHS trust has admitted liability for the mix-up, which it described as an 'appalling error,' and compensation negotiations are currently in progress.

Despite the emotional fallout, Claire and Joan have formed a close bond, exploring their shared heritage, while Joan maintains that her love for Jessica remains unchanged.

Joan vividly recalled the night she gave birth to Jessica and how the mix-up occurred when she was handed the wrong baby after delivery.

Claire discovered that her official records incorrectly stated her birth date, revealing she was actually a day older than she had believed.

At the time of the mix-up, the hospital used handwritten tags for newborns, a practice that has since changed to more secure identification methods.

NHS Resolution has acknowledged the complex nature of this case as it works to determine compensation while noting the absence of records from that time period regarding the error.

The incident came to light during an episode of the BBC podcast 'The Gift,' which focuses on family secrets revealed by DNA tests.

Historically, cases of babies being switched at birth are extremely rare in the UK, with the NHS stating in 2017 that there were no documented incidents of such mistakes before the introduction of RFID tagging in the 1980s.