A mother whose baby daughter died after surgery at the Bristol Royal Infirmary has been found dead in bed at her home.

Relatives believe Alison Martin, 38, "may have died of a broken heart" after failing to come to terms with the loss of her six-month-old daughter Jenna.

Jenna died after undergoing surgery to correct a heart defect at the Bristol Royal Infirmary 10 years ago.

Her death is understood to be one of 1,900 being investigated as part of a public inquiry into heart surgery performed at the hospital between 1984 and 1995.

Alison's father, Russell Gilvear, found his daughter dead at her home in Creigau, near Cardiff, where she lived with her husband Roger and their three other young children.

"She was never the same girl since she lost Jenna - it changed her whole life," Mr Gilvear said.

"Alison never came to terms with the loss.

"She was contacted several times by the groups set up by parents who lost their children in Bristol but she was so upset she never really got involved.

"The whole family is really shocked by her death. It is a terrible waste of life."

The inquiry into the deaths at Bristol Royal Infirmary was set up following the long-running General Medical Council investigation into operations on 53 children, of whom 29 died and four were left brain damaged.

Following the investigation, three doctors were found guilty of serious professional misconduct.

Surgeon struck off

Heart surgeon James Wisheart and trust chief executive John Roylans were struck off and another surgeon, Mr Janardan Dhasmana, was barred from operating on children for three years.

Mr Gilvear did not think his daughter committed suicide.

"When I found her there were no signs of any tablets or anything like that in the bedroom.

"She may have died of a broken heart because of what happened with Jenna but we won't know what happened until the inquest," he added.

A South Wales Police spokesman confirmed they were not treating Mrs Martin's death as suspicious. The coroner has been informed and an inquest will be held into her death.