An investigation has been launched after claims a woman admitted to hospital suffering from dehydration was dropped on the floor by nurses, left without pain killers due to doctor shortages, and ultimately died just days later.

Tony Ellis watched as his mother's condition deteriorated at St Helier Hospital and claims staff shortages led to poor treatment that contributed to her death.

Rae Ellis, 83, was admitted to St Helier Hospital on Thursday, May 28 with what Mr Ellis suspected was dehydration and was put on a drip.

Mr Ellis then claimed staff increased the drip flow, which flooded her lungs and was told that permanent damage had been caused as a result.

The next day Mr Ellis, 59, found his mother, of Anglesey Court Road, Carshalton, could barely move by herself and said he was told by an auxiliary nurse this was due to her being dropped to the ground as they lifted her without a hoist from her bed to a nearby chair.

In the early hours of Monday, June 1 Mr Ellis was alerted to his mother's distress and drove two hours from his East Sussex home to be with her.

When he arrived he found Mrs Ellis in distress and watched her writhe in agony.

It took four family members to stop Mrs Ellis from pulling out her drips and harming herself by climbing out of bed.

A doctor then told him pain relief medicine could not be prescribed for his mother as there were only three doctors in the entire hospital that night.

On the Tuesday Mrs Ellis was transferred to St Raphael's Hospice in Cheam as a bed was available for her to sleep in and by Mr Ellis' account was given high quality care during her brief stay there.

Mrs Ellis died two days later at the hospice.

Mr Ellis said he is not upset with the staff on duty and that his anger was focused on the management who run the hospital.

He said: "I have the utmost respect for doctors and nurses, they do an incredibly tough job and had so many other patients to look after.

"But someone has to be held accountable, someone knows that there were so few doctors to patients and didn't bat an eyelid."

In a statement released on behalf of St Helier Hospital, joint medical director and deputy chief executive Dr Ruth Charlton offered condolences to the family and confirmed an investigation had been launched.

She said: "On behalf of the trust, I would like to offer my heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of Mrs Ellis.

"We are deeply concerned by the issues raised by the family and have launched a thorough investigation into the matter, which is being led by senior members of our nursing team.

"We appreciate this must be a very difficult time for the loved ones of Mrs Ellis, and would like to apologise for any unnecessary distress this investigation process has caused."

The statement added that as the investigation was on going they would not be able to add anything further, but that once completed they would share the review with the Ellis family.