THE end of an inquiry into a Hampshire NHS trust has been pushed back again.

A series of hearings into Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust began last March and was expected to end on April 16.

Last week it was  confirmed that discussions would continue on April 19 and 20 to allow the panel to hear from more witnesses.

But it has now been announced that the panel will be sitting for one additional day on April 29 to hear from a witness.

The final hearing is expected to start at 10am and end at midday.

It comes as Southern Health is being scrutinised after a report looking into the deaths of five Southern Health patients between 2011 and 2015 found “significant, serious and deeply regrettable failures”.

Last week the panel heard that improvements have been made but there is “still” work to do.

A report is set to be published after the hearings.

As previously reported, the final report is expected to set out the panel’s conclusions as to whether the current policies are appropriate or if they require improvement and if so, the panel is expected to make recommendations.

Members will also consider the extent to which the trust has implemented recommendations from previous reviews and investigations and where further improvements can be made.

It comes as members have been looking into the handling of complaints as well as a number of policy including communication with families and patients.