A HEALTH board has been ordered to apologise to the family of a cancer patient who died after developing sepsis.

The woman contracted the fatal infection after receiving treatment at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman found that the hospital had failed to follow its own policy on the prescription of antibiotics to reduce the chance of infection.

An NHS Grampian spokeswoman said: “We have accepted the Ombudsman’s recommendations and will implement them in full.

"This report will be shared in full with the relevant clinical staff.

“We will apologise unreservedly to the family for the areas where our care has fallen short of the high standards we would expect.”