A cancer patient who suffered a fractured spine in a fall and died a week later was wrongly told her scan was clear.

The woman, who was being cared for at home, fell in Glasgow Royal Infirmary during a review of her care.

She was scanned and discharged after 48 hours, with doctors telling her family that the x-ray was clear.

Her relatives raised concerns with her GP that she was continuing to suffer back pain.

The doctor contacted the hospital for the scan report, which revealed that she had a fracture at the base of her spine.

The patient died the following day, leaving her grieving family concerned that they had cared for her without knowing about the broken bone.

A Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) investigation concluded that the woman's family had not been "reasonably informed" about the scan results.

A report into the family's complaint said: "We took independent advice from a consultant in general medicine and a radiologist.

"They noted that the fracture was clearly visible on the scan, but although the hospital's computerised audit trail showed staff had reviewed the scan, this was not documented in the medical records and there was no evidence that the results had been communicated to [the patient] or her family."

It added: "While we did not find evidence that staff had given incorrect information to [the patient] or her GP, we were critical that staff did not identify the fracture and share this information. We therefore upheld this complaint."

The SPSO ordered Greater Glasgow NHS to apologise to the family, to give feedback about the findings about the lack of documentation and communication and to review and address training linked to these issues.

A spokesman for the health board said: "We have today received the Ombudsman's decision letter and fully accept the recommendations.

"We accept that communication about the x-ray findings was below the standard we would expect.

"In this instance, a member of staff assessed the x-ray and allowed the patient to be discharged without documenting this in the case note or involving a more senior member of team.

"We have reinforced the importance of appropriate documentation and communication to staff.

"We will be formally writing to the family offering our apologies for failing to ensure that they were not reasonably informed about the results of the patient's x-ray."