THE niece of a man who killed himself after he was turned away from a psychiatric unit has insisted she has “absolutely no faith” in a new probe into mental health services.

Gillian Murray, 28, previously accused Scottish ministers of treating her family "like absolute dirt" and ignoring their pleas for a public inquiry into mental health provision at NHS Tayside.

Her uncle David Ramsay took his life in 2016 at the age of 50, after he was twice rejected for treatment at the Carseview psychiatric unit at Ninewells in Dundee.

READ MORE: Family of suicide victim accuse Scottish ministers of treating them 'like absolute dirt'

Bosses at the health board have now announced an independent inquiry into Carseview’s mental health services – but Ms Murray dismissed the probe, adding: “I don't for one second believe it will be independent.”

Reiterating her calls for a full public inquiry, she said she had faced a tirade of online abuse after her uncle’s case was raised by Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard at First Minister’s Questions.

She said: “The responses I got were genuinely vile. I am quite new to Twitter. I was getting called every name under the sun. It ranged from personal attacks, to the way I look, to saying it was all an act.

“I was sobbing on the bathroom floor most of the night, I was awake until five o'clock this morning. I was vomiting this morning because of the stress of this.”

Ms Murray said she had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after her uncle’s suicide, and speaking out publicly had left her drained.

The former SNP member – who tore up her membership card in protest at her family’s treatment, amid claims they were ignored by ministers and local MSPs – has joined calls for Health Secretary Shona Robison to resign over a series of controversies at NHS Tayside.

Last month, The Herald revealed the board dipped into its charity fund and transferred millions of pounds to pay for general running costs.

READ MORE: NHS Tayside axed own rules to use charity cash to pay for new IT system after running out of money

Ms Murray claimed her attempts to contact SNP ministers over her family’s ordeal had proved fruitless. But during FMQs earlier this week, Nicola Sturgeon said there had been “communication with the family”.

Last night Scottish Government officials admitted a “mistyped” email address meant a letter from mental health minister Maureen Watt was never sent.

A spokesman said: “Ms Watt has today written Ms Murray to offer her sincerest apology over this matter and for the upset Ms Murray and the other members of David Ramsay’s family have felt as a result.”

He said the independent inquiry aimed to be an “opportunity to capture the concerns of the patients and families, including those of Ms Murray and her family, who have used, or felt let down by, the services”.

Ms Murray said it was “quite sad that it took us going to parliament and for me to be slated and made out to look like a liar to get the apology”.

The First Minister, who has offered to meet the grieving family, yesterday took to social media to defend Ms Murray's right to raise concerns without receiving abuse, adding: "Patients and their families should never be criticised for raising issues or concerns about the NHS."

READ MORE: Niece of man who killed himself becomes target of Twitter abuse

NHS Tayside chairman John Brown said the independent inquiry was being commissioned to “address the concerns of some families who have been speaking out about their experiences of mental health services at the centre”.

Mr Leonard said the move was “a welcome step forward”, but renewed calls for a full public inquiry covering the whole of NHS Tayside.

He said: "The reality is that it should not have taken years of campaigning by bereaved families – and a tragedy being raised at First Minister’s Questions – to deliver this limited review.

“Scrutiny should be an essential part of how our public services are run – but instead bosses at NHS Tayside and SNP Health Secretary and Dundee MSP Shona Robison have attempted to evade accountability at all costs.”