The mum of a toddler receiving palliative care has hit out at "disgusting" comments made by hospital workers who compared themselves to the Grim Reaper.

Imogen Holliday, from Deal, has described her shock at overhearing staff members at Great Ormond Street Hospital making jokes about death just metres away from her and her three-year-old son, Raffy.

After he was diagnosed with leukaemia at just under a year old, Raffy has faced a lengthy battle with his health and is currently under treatment described as "the last option".

But while waiting in a bone marrow transplant ward last Monday, Imogen described how she overheard "sick individuals laughing" as they cracked jokes while waiting to meet her dying son.

She said: "Outside the wards are boards with staff pictures and names. Each ward is given an animal - it being a children's hospital - and they were looking and discussing the Robin ward board."

"They went on to say 'what would our symbol be?'. One replied ‘palliative team, the Grim Reapers’.

"Another said ‘we should get it on hoodies and go into the rooms’ - actioning the grim reaper hood.

"The third added ‘no, it needs to be a bird. What about raven? No, no, dove. Symbol of hope’.

"She then proceeded to put her hand out in front of herself as if to halt, and said ‘sorry, no hope’.

"At this point they all burst out laughing, seemingly finding some hilarity in their profession and children dying.

"I told them what they had said was disgusting and they were not to have anything to do with my son's care."

Raffy was diagnosed with mixed-phenotype acute leukaemia, a rare type of the illness, when he was 11 months old.

Since then, he has had multiple rounds of chemotherapy and experimental immunotherapy, as well as a bone marrow transplant in September 2020.

As an inpatient at G.O.S.H for the past five months, Raffy has suffered from bleeds in his brain, blood clots, ulcerative colitis and has had pancreatitis twice after contracting HHV6.

Describing her son's ordeal, Imogen spoke of the devastating decision to put Raffy under palliative care while he is given experimental treatment for the rare virus.

"He's gone from an amazingly spirited bright and loving boy, to a child that is non-verbal and unresponsive," said Imogen.

"He's the fourth in the world to receive experimental HHV6 treatment from Germany.

"HHV6 has travelled from my son's blood, into his bone marrow and destroyed it.

"We've been told this is our last option."

Imogen says she has made a complaint to the hospital trust and is in discussions with senior members of staff, but is keen to make sure the "abhorrent behaviour" is punished.

She said: "You would expect the palliative team to be the most compassionate, empathetic and personable team of all.

"This is the worst thing any parent should go through, let alone having to contend with this.

"These people shouldn’t just get away with such abhorrent behaviour at a world-leading children’s hospital."

Bosses at the hospital have confirmed an investigation has been launched following Imogen's complaints, describing the comments as "indefensible".

A spokesperson for Great Ormond Street Hospital said: "We expect our staff to be compassionate and kind at all times and to ease, not add to, the burden of our families. We are very sorry for the distress that has been caused to the family.

"Conversations of this nature are indefensible. As soon as we were told about the incident, we launched an investigation. We are taking this extremely seriously. It is ongoing."