The chief executive of St George's NHS Trust has apologised over the death of a man in hospital care as a result of staff failures.

Miles Scott posted the message on his blog which is published on the trust's website, following media coverage of the inquest of Kane Gorny.

Last week an inquest heard Mr Gorny, 22, of Weir Road, Balham, needed regular medication to keep him hydrated after undergoing surgery for a brain tumour.

He was sent to St George's Hospital, Tooting, for a hip replacement after steroids weakened the bone.

But Mr Gorny died three days after the operation on May 27, 2009, when nurses failed to give him his tablets.

Mr Scott said: "Many of you will have read the media coverage of the inquest into the death of Kane Gorny.

"Kane was admitted for an operation in 2009 with complex medical needs and we failed to care for him as we should have.

"Sadly he died as a result. I would like to apologise again on behalf of the trust for this failure in our duty of care and to say that we have taken action to protect other patients.

"When things do go wrong, it is vital that we learn from them and adapt our approach to make sure we do not repeat our mistakes."

He said during the trust's last board meeting a patient story video was played in which a patient's family discussed how their care could be improved.

The video helped highlight the hospital's responsibility to ensure high standards of care.

Patients are now being encouraged to share their worries with a senior sister or matron, while a new system is in place to help staff fully evaluate each patient.

The inquest is being held today, Tuesday and Wednesday in Westminster Coroner's Court.