Ashworth investigates allegations of 'multiple abuse' at social event

Ashworth high security hospital – home to some of Britain's most notorious offenders – is at the centre of allegations of sexual abuse of women patients.

It is claimed staff at the Merseyside hospital had to carry out an inquiry after female patients reported they had been verbally abused and sexually assaulted. Allegations include an incident of "multiple sexual abuse" at a social event.

This newspaper has also learnt that a senior manager was moved from her post after demanding mixed activities among patients be immediately closed.

The latest allegations follow a succession of scandals at Ashworth. In 1993, Louis Blom-Cooper headed an inquiry which gathered evidence of beating, bullying and abuse. Sir Richard Tilt, the former director general of the prison service, reviewed security after a 1997 inquiry found drugs and pornography were in wide circulation.

There are still at least 40 women patients at Ashworth, 10 years after health experts recommended that no more be admitted to the hospital.

Unison, the union for health service workers, has now written to Alan Milburn, Secretary of State for Health, demanding an independent inquiry into the abuse of women in secure hospitals.

Unison represented Julia Wassell, who last week exposed the rape and sexual abuse of women patients at Broadmoor. "We are concerned about the treatment of women and that whistleblowers find themselves in the firing line for reporting bad practice in the NHS," a Unison spokeswoman said.

Ashworth confirmed that it commissioned an independent inquiry into allegations of "inappropriate contact" between men and women from 1996 to 1997 deciding shortly afterwards that they should be segregated. However, it refused to comment on allegations that a senior manager had been moved from her post.

"The only time men and women are together now is during church services and even then they are segregated," a spokesman said.

• We would like to point out that there are no mixed activities between men and women at the hospital (nor have there been for five years) and that the allegations contained within the article relate to 1997. We apologise if any contrary impression was given.