NIGEL Evans is to raise at Westminster fears over security at Calderstones Hospital after a second patient in six months was placed under a restriction order for assault.

Chief executive Russ Pearce said Calderstones did not publish the numbers of assaults by patients on staff and other residents, but they did try to learn from every incident.

Peter Loftus, 34, pleaded guity to wounding fellow patient Kevin Tomlinson at the Whalley hospital for people with learning disabilities on September 6.

He was put under a hospital order under the Mental Health Act and sent to the medium secure West Drive unit of the hospital as was another patient Paul Andrew Taylor who assaulted a nurse in a kitchen six months before. Both men require high level approval before they can be moved or discharged.

Ribble Valley Tory MP Mr Evans said: "We were told that only appropriate people are at Calderstones but this is a second extremely serious assault in two months.f this person can do this inside Calderstones what would happen if he got out of Calderstones?

"I shall be writing to Home Secretary Jack Straw and Health Secretary Alan Milburn to ask them if their concerns about whether there is proper security and management at Calderstones." Chief executive Russ Pearce said that, although other health services such as hospitals and ambulance services published assault statistics, Calderstones would not make the figures available.

He said other trusts published figures because the assaults involved members of the public, but Calderstones would not divulge figures for reasons of patient confidentiality.

Mr Pearce said: "I am not happy with the situation because even one assault is one too many. It is not acceptable for clients to attack staff but we are part of the health service and assaults are sometimes the consequences of dealing with some of our clients."