A TEENAGE boy who was killed within seven hours by meningitis was sent home by a hospital on the night he died.

The angry family of Gregor Smith, 13, claim the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, Fife, discharged him despite the fact he had a rash and was violently sick.

Just minutes after being sent home, Gregor developed a rash on his face and was rushed back into hospital, where he died a few hours later.

His older sister, Rachel, said NHS healthcare was "ridiculous" and had left her raging.

The Victoria has been at the centre of a string of scandals since the £170 million facility opened in January last year. In another recent case, a man revealed that medics failed to spot his wife's ruptured bowel and sent her home, only for her to die a few days later.

Gregor's father, George, 45, said he was told by phoneline NHS 24 to take his son to hospital on Sunday after Gregor felt hot and shivery and his lips and eyes took on a bluish tinge. He was taken to the Victoria.

NHS Fife medical director, Dr Brian Montgomery, said: "This is a tragic case and NHS Fife is looking into the circumstances."