THE chairman of Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust has stepped down ahead of a damning report.

Mike Petter's resignation was announced this afternoon, citing "a significant amount of scrutiny" in recent months.

The trust is expected to be criticised in a report published tomorrow by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

It comes after the embattled organisation came under fresh scrutiny this week over long-running safety issues at its Slade House care unit in Headington, where Oxford teenager Connor Sparrowhawk died in 2013.

A leaked report suggested the trust was aware of "failings" at the unit a year before Connor, who had learning disabilities and autism, drowned in a bath when he was left alone and suffered an epileptic fit.

Mr Petter said: "I have made the very difficult decision to tender my resignation as Chairman of Southern Health.

"The Trust has recently undergone a significant amount of scrutiny in some service areas and given the challenges it faces I feel it is appropriate for me to allow new board leadership to take forward the improvements.

"I have been involved in Southern Health since the Trust was formed in 2011 as a Non-Executive Director and since August 2015 as Chairman.

"It is with great sadness that I now leave the organisation. I offer my support and best wishes to all our staff whose dedication and commitment I am continuously impressed by.”