Mrs Ellen Stanbridge, aged 100, died just one day after being discharged from a ward at Hemel Hempstead Hospital in August.

Her family claims Mrs Stanbridge was only admitted with a bruised ankle, but 'completely deteriorated' during her four week stay.

Her daughter Jennifer Perry, 70, said: "When my mother entered the hospital she was relatively fit and healthy for a woman of 100 years, but she left a dying woman.

"She was miserable and the fact that she died at her great age is acceptable and to be expected, but the way she died is not."

A spokesman for West Herts Hospitals NHS said it could not comment on individual cases, but confirmed the incident was being 'thoroughly investigated'.

Mrs Stanbridge, a great-grandmother, had fallen at her Vicarage Lane home in July and taken to hospital with a suspected broken ankle.

Hospital staff kept Mrs Stanbridge in for four weeks because they wanted to 'encourage her to mobilise' and because she required nightcare.

Mrs Perry said: "I think it was a serious judgement error to keep her on a ward unnecessarily and she was very miserable.

"My mother had been very happy at home with four carers and family visiting daily.

"In hospital she kept telling us how unhappy she was, so we found her a place at a lovely care home in St
Albans that could provide night care.

"When she left hospital she couldn't eat or drink anything because she had severe oral thrush that made her mouth swell.

"This wasn't even diagnosed until the day before she was discharged and she died 28 hours after leaving the hospital.

"I feel the last thing I can do for her is highlight this issue and prevent it happening to someone else."