Southern Health investigating 'abusive phone call' to bereaved mother

Southern Health will launch a full investigation into an alleged 'abusive' voicemail sent to a bereaved mother.

Dr Sara Ryan, who's son Connor Sparrowhawk drowned while under the care of Southern Health, posted a recording of the voicemail to her website.

The message - from someone claiming to work for Southern Health NHS Trust - begins sympathetically before describing Dr Ryan as 'vindictive, unpleasant and nasty' for appearing on television criticising the trust.

Listen to the voicemail below:

Southern Health has faced criticism from NHS England and the Care Quality Commission for failings in the way that it reported and investigated hundreds of unexpected deaths, particularly of people using its mental health and learning disability services.

The Trust released the following statement about the phone call:

In a Tweet, Dr Ryan described the phone call as horrific.

Read a transcript of the voicemail below: