The family of an elderly hospital patient injured in a fall has dismissed a report into the incident as a whitewash.

Daphne Simpson suffered a black eye, a forehead cut and was X-rayed for a suspected fractured spine after the fall at Brighton General Hospital.

An internal report concluded Mrs Simpson, who has Alzheimer's disease, made her own way to the toilet on the ward and slipped.

The report highlights shortcomings in the care Mrs Simpson, 80, received after the accident and hospital bosses have apologised to the family for these.

But Mrs Simpson's daughters, Linda Goodman and Jenny Sheppard, are unhappy with some of the report's findings and are planning to take the matter further.

Mrs Goodman, of Elm Grove, Brighton, said: "I am not happy with the account of what happened on the night my mother had her fall and how she got from her bed to the toilet. I want to ask more questions.

"I also have issues with the report of how I was told about my mother's accident over the phone and the delay in getting her an X-ray.

"I think there is a whitewash going on and more questions need to be asked."

Mrs Goodman was also angry her mother's X-ray had been delayed because the hospital's lift had been switched off.

She said: "If the lift was switched off then it should have been switched on again. My mother had to lie around for ages with a collar."

Mrs Sheppard, who lives in Canada, said: "We will be looking to talk to the hospital authorities further about this."

Mrs Simpson was admitted to hospital on February 9 after complaining of a lack of feeling in her legs and then developed a urinary infection.

On February 16, Mrs Goodman was called by hospital staff at about 8am and told her mother had had a fall. She visited later that day and her mother was complaining her neck hurt.

The following morning Mrs Goodman was called again and told her mother would be transferred to the Royal Sussex County Hospital.

The report says although there were four members of staff on duty the night of Mrs Simpson's accident, all were dealing with other patients and did not see her go to the toilet at about 4am.

They were alerted when they heard a noise and took her back to bed. A doctor ordered spinal X-rays when he saw her at about 8am.

The report says the lift was out of action while being tested so the X-rays were not done until about 4pm. The X-rays were not examined until later that night and were sent by taxi to the orthopaedic team at Royal Sussex for further review.

The team said there was a possibility Mrs Simpson had a small fracture to her spine and wanted to see her but it was too late that night to transfer her.

Mrs Simpson was eventually transferred to the Royal Sussex on the evening of February 17.

The report admits staff should have arranged for the lift generator to be turned on.

It says staff should have arranged for an ambulance to take her to the Royal Sussex so she was X-rayed earlier.

The hospital has offered a full apology for the X-ray delays.

The report says: "Because of the possibility of Mrs Simpson having a cervical spine fracture, it would have been more appropriate for the X-rays to be reviewed immediately."

The hospital also apologised for not making it clear to Mrs Goodman that her mother was going to need an X-ray when they called her.

A trust spokesman said: "We have carried out a full investigation into this incident and have apologised.

"We would hope Mrs Simpson's family is happy with the report but welcome the opportunity to discuss it further."

Mrs Simpson is staying at a nursing home in Brighton.