AN embattled health trust has cancelled a meeting after planning to make key decisions behind closed doors.

The failings of Southern Health were set to be discussed on Tuesday at an extraordinary council of governors summit.

But organisers last night cancelled the meeting under pressure from NHS lawyers, who said decisions made would not be "legally robust".

New interim chairman Tim Smart had been criticised for planning to exclude the press and public from parts of the meeting.

As previously reported by the Daily Echo, Southern Health has been condemned for failing to properly investigate the deaths of hundreds of people in its care.

Mr Smart replaced Mike Petter as chairman last month after a damning report by the Care Quality Commission.

He has already clashed with governors who accused him of lacking “transparency”.

The cancelled meeting, his first as chair ,would have seen governors consider a motion by public governor Peter Bell which includes a proposed vote of no confidence in the Trust's leadership.

In a statement Mr Smart said: "After serious consideration and having taken advice from NHS Improvement (NHSI) and the Trust's solicitors, I have taken the difficult decision to postpone the Extraordinary Council of Governors meeting scheduled to take place on Tuesday 17 May.

"It has been brought to my attention that the resolutions put forward by Governors for discussion at the meeting do not comply with NHSI 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.

"In order to avoid this, the Trust has offered to provide independent legal support to the Governors, in order that their resolutions can be given full consideration at a future public meeting, having been submitted using the correct legal process.

“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 meeting was due to be held at Lyndhurst Community Centre.