THE mum of an Oxford teenager who died in the care of an NHS trust has branded it "shambolic" after bosses tried to hold a vote of no confidence behind closed doors before cancelling it altogether.

Dr Sara Ryan, whose son Connor Sparrowhawk drowned in a bath at a care unit in 2013, said there was currently "no leadership at all" at Southern Health.

Her comments came after the trust postponed a meeting in which chief executive Katrina Percy and other top directors would have faced a vote of no confidence for their repeated failures to address patient safety concerns.

Southern Health was already facing criticism for seeking to shut the public and press out of the vote but it has now called it off amid fears it would be open to a legal challenge. 

Speaking to the Oxford Mail today, Dr Ryan said: "It is just another example of what a shambolic organisation it is.

"They just do not seem to know what they are doing. There is no leadership at all."

In a statement published on Saturday night, newly-appointed chairman Tim Smart said the "difficult" decision to cancel Tuesday's meeting of governors was taken after it emerged the resolutions they were set to vote on would not have been "legally robust".

But in an extraordinary blog post today, governor Peter Bell revealed he had threatened to seek an injunction to ensure the meeting took place. 

He wrote: "I have already advised the chair that, after receipt of legal advice, I am prepared to propose amendments to the resolutions that would ensure that they comply with guidance.

"I do not believe that all of the resolutions could be considered invalid - so why cannot those where no legal objection has been raised be debated by the governors? 

"This is beginning to look like just another attempt to frustrate the wishes of the governors who have been trying to get matters addressed."

Mr Smart said his decision was based on advice from the regulator NHS Improvement, which gave him the chairman job, and the trust's solicitors.

Oxford Mail:

  • Chief executive Katrina Percy has faced mounting calls to resign after the trust failed to address a string of patient safety concerns.

He added: "The resolutions put forward by governors for discussion at the meeting do not comply with [NHS Improvement] guidance, and any vote would not be legally robust.

"While I understand there is considerable public interest in these resolutions, the potential of not following the correct process is that any decision made by the Council of Governors next week could have become subject to significant challenge, including judicial review."

The chairman said the trust would offer governors fresh independent legal advice so they could resubmit any resolutions through "the correct process" at a future meeting.

He said: "This is far from ideal but having been appointed to bring change to Southern Health and to lead in developing a proper way forward following all the considerable problems at the Trust, I am determined that what we do everything correctly, whatever the short term difficulties along the way.”

The decision comes after Tom Ryan, Dr Ryan's son and Connor Sparrowhawk's brother, accused the leadership of a "lack of accountability" in an interview with the Oxford Mail. 

Oxford Mail:

  • Tom Ryan, 16, accused managers at Southern Health of "childishness, deceitfulness and a lack of accountability".

Bosses at Southern Health, particularly chief executive Ms Percy, are already under renewed pressure following the publication of a damning watchdog report last month, which said bosses were to blame for a lack of action taken to address concerns about patient safety.

It prompted the resignations of chairman Mike Petter and governor Mark Aspinall, with NHS Improvement this month parachuting in new chairman Mr Smart to put the organisation back on track.

The report by the Care Quality Commission was ordered following a review which found the trust had failed to investigate hundreds of patient deaths.

NHS Improvement says it could still take further action against the trust.