Woman, 60, 'raped in mental hospital'

An alleged rape of a 60-year-old woman at a London mental health unit was today being investigated by detectives.

The patient was allegedly raped in the Brent ward of the John Connolly unit of the West London Mental Health Trust at around 4.45pm on Friday, Scotland Yard said.

A spokesman said the suspect was described as a black male but said it was still very early in the investigation and no further details were available.

The investigation follows the rape of a 71-year-old woman suffering from terminal cancer in the toilet of another London hospital.

The frail married victim was on a mixed ward at King’s College Hospital, south London, when she was raped in a toilet yards from her bed at 2am on May 1.

Police believe the rapist - thought to be a white man in his 50s - could be a fellow patient or a hospital worker, but have not discounted the possibility that someone from outside evaded extensive security.

Detectives have examined CCTV footage and interviewed other patients and staff members.

At the time, the Department of Health (DoH) said the NHS would take on board any lessons that could be learned from the ‘‘appalling’’ incident at King’s College Hospital.

It was condemned by Health Secretary Alan Milburn as an ‘‘almost indescribable event’’.

The DoH said in a statement that the NHS was phasing out old-style Nightingale wards and replacing them with single-sex accommodation so patients could have dignity and privacy.

Security improvements such as installing CCTV cameras, locking wards and employing guards have also taken place.