IN the last two years the Lancashire Evening Telegraph has reported three incidents involving patients absconding from Calderstones.

The latest case, earlier this year, involved nine-year-old Natasha Miller, from Billington, who came face-to-face with a patient who had absconded from the unit.

There has always been some type of secure unit at Calderstones, but since 1985 the site has specialised in accepting people with learning disabilities who need treatment in a medium secure unit.

The unit, one of six NHS in the North West, has evolved over 15 years as Calderstones has focused its development on the resettlement of patients into the community has taken place.

During the 1990s numbers in the unit -- also known as the forensic service -- have grown significantly.

This happened as patients in the old-style, long stay wards like Brockhall in the Ribble Valley were rehabilitated and resettled into the community. The new style unit has proved a money spinner for the trust as patients have been referred from across the UK. A spokeswoman for the NHS Executive in the North West said the cost of treating one patient in a medium secure unit was between £70,000-£125,000 annually.

The unit is split between the West Drive and Chestnut Drive wings. Each site has five wards, with each ward containing three flats. Groups of four to five patients share a flat and patients each have their own bedroom and they share a bathroom, kitchen and a living room.

There is a slightly higher level of security at West Drive where all ward doors are locked but individual flat doors are not.

At Chestnut Drive security is more relaxed as the patients are being rehabilitated and prepared for resettlement into the community.

Patients are escorted from their flats to work at the Pendlecroft Garden Centre, which is open to the public, and to the West Drive and Chestnut Drive clubs in the evenings where they can have a drink (non alcoholic) and a chat with other patients.

McAlpine's plans for the housing estate are designed around a manor house grounds-style complex including 318 houses and flats as well a primary school.

Outline planning permission has been given for the school and a piece of land has been reserved. A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said it was unable to bid for Government cash to build the school until a substantial number of houses had been built.

He said money had been made available by Alfred McAlpine towards the cost of a new school.

If a school was not built, the cash would be spent on existing primary school education in the area.