THE family of a four-year-old boy plan to sue the hospital where he died.

Anthony Kenway and Katie Oxley, parents of Matthew Kenway, have said they will take out a clinical negligence case against Southampton General Hospital.

Matthew, of Bellfield, Fareham, who suffered from a type of muscular dystrophy, was recovering from a kidney operation at the hospital when his heart stopped suddenly and he died on December 16, 2010, an inquest earlier this month heard.

As previously reported the inquest was told how Matthew was looked after on the paediatric high-dependency unit but in the early hours the oxygen monitor probe appeared not to be recording anything.

A nurse initially thought the machine might be faulty, but in fact Matthew's heart had stopped.

The inquest heard how Matthew had not been hooked up to a heart monitor.

Southampton coroner Keith Wiseman delivered a narrative verdict earlier this month, in which he said there was clearly a delay in recognising that Matthew had had a cardiac arrest.

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust has said following Matthew's death it had now introduced heart monitoring for all infants and children who have had surgery.