THE family of a Newport grandmother have received a four-figure pay-out after Aneurin Bevan Health Board accepted its care was negligent in the last weeks of her life.

Marjorie Holloway died at the Royal Gwent Hospital (RGH) in July 2010 from symptoms unrelated to her complaint.

But her son Kevin Holloway has been left furious with the standard of care his mother received at the Royal Gwent and St Woolos hospital.

Mrs Holloway, who was 81 when she died, lived for most of her life at the family home in Cyril Street, was admitted to the RGH on June 22 2010 after concerns she may be suffering from pancreatic problems.

It was at the Gwent and at neighbouring St Woolos hospital that Mr Holloway felt his mother's treatment was unacceptable.

Mr Holloway, said: "It's never been about the money. My late father was so upset about how my mother was treated that it was his dying wish for me to pursue this.

"Don't get me wrong, some nurses there couldn't have done more for her and bent over backwards to help but some who just didn't seem to care and I would have liked to ask those people why they didn't care for my mother better.

In legal documents, drafted by Mr Holloway's solicitors in Newport, Jane Pateman a qualified nurse with more than 30 years experience assessed the claim.

In a report, Mrs Pateman, said: "According to NICE guidelines patients should receive an initial and ongoing risk assessment of pressure sore ulecrationÉ there is no evidence to show this was performed."

The report continues to note that three days later Mrs Holloway has acquired a pressure sore but has still not been referred to a "viability nurse for advice on the management of the pressure sore."

She continues by saying "all pressure sores are preventable."

In another incident, this time at St Woolos hospital on July 1 2010, after Mrs Holloway fell from a commode and hit her head causing a cut above her eye. Mr Holloway said it required two internal and three external stitches.

Mrs Pateman finishes by saying 'I consider the nursing staff failed to minimise the risk to Mrs Holloway developing a pressure soreÉ under these circumstances I consider that the care provided to Mrs Holloway at the Royal Gwent Hospital was negligent.'

A spokesman for Aneurin Bevan Health Board, said: "We can confirm that a payment has been made to the family of the late Mrs Holloway by the Health Board but it would not be appropriate to comment in detail on this case due to patient confidentiality.

"While much of the care provided was satisfactory, we fully acknowledge that this was not the case overall. Therefore we would wish to apologise to the family for those aspects of care that fell below what they should have reasonably expected."