BOSSES at Calderstones Hospital today faced calls for an urgent security review after MPs, unions and health watchdogs expressed concern about a series of incidents involving patients.

Ribble Valley Tory MP Nigel Evans and Hyndburn Labour MP Greg Pope demanded action after a patient was jailed for three months for indecently assaulting a female nurse -- just months after hospital bosses said he would be kept away from women following a similar offence.

Calderstones has refused to say why the female nurse was in a male-only area in the medium secure unit at the time of the assault by Paul Andrew Taylor or comment on the calls for a review.

Today Mr Evans called for a major safety review at Calderstones and Unison bosses and health care watchdogs warned improper care affected both patients and staff.

Nigel Robinson, chief officer of the Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Community Health Council, said he had already arranged a meeting with Calderstones chief executive Russ Pearce to discuss recent incidents.

Staff and local residents had expressed concern over the unit's security before Taylor's second offence. He had warned that he could re-offend because of his uncontrollable sexual urges before attacking the nurse, who failed to notice the signs saying females should not enter the area.

The attack by Taylor is the latest in a catalogue of incidents at the hospital highlighted by the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, including: December 2000: Taylor sent back to Calderstones by magistrates after admitting assault.

January 2001: The Trust admitted that three patients had gone missing in the previous 12 months. All were found within two hours.

February: Peter Loftus, 34, pleaded guilty to wounding fellow patient Kevin Tomlinson at the hospital.

March: A patient was found 35 miles away in a pub in Halifax after going on the run.

June: A patient -- believed to be a convicted arsonist -- absconded from Burnley General Hospital, during a regular appointment. He was found nearly an hour later with a lighter. Trust bosses admitted another patient had gone missing for an hour.

Blackburn magistrates last week imprisoned Taylor pending transfer to a maximum security mental hospital.

Mr Evans said: "This is absolutely right. It seems that he was too dangerous to be in Calderstones in the first place. We need a major safety review to find out what happened and to make sure it never happens again.

"I call on the hospital authorities to give a full and frank account of what happened.

Hyndburn Labour MP Greg Pope added: "There must be a major safety review to prevent this happening again and the details of that review and what happened in this case must be made public." Bill McMillan, head of health with the workers' union Unison, said: "It's important that we correctly identify patients' needs.

"Furthermore, we need to provide for them in the most appropriate settings, otherwise there will be problems."

Nigel Robinson said: "I am very concerned about some of the things that have been going on at Calderstones recently.

Mr Robinson added representatives from the CHC visited Calderstones and were "satisfied" with their findings but added "issues like this did not come up."

He added: "We will try to get to the bottom of some of these things. Calderstones should be a little more up front."