NHS watchdogs have launched a national review of sexual abuse in hospitals amid fears patients are being put at risk on mixed sex wards.

Inspectors have warned hospital trusts to do more to protect patients, after a trawl found more than 900 sexual incidents, including assault and harassment, recorded on mental health wards in just three months.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said a “substantial number” of services were admitting men and women to the same wards, despite the fact this should not be allowed.

Dr Paul Lelliott, deputy chief inspector of hospitals, said staff at such trusts had “a heightened responsibility to ensure that patients are safe from sexual harassment and sexual violence”.

The watchdog urged trusts to review their handling of incidents, and ensure sufficient action was being taken to ensure the sexual safety on their wards.

And they warned that some of the incidents, reported to the National Reporting and Learning System, also appeared to have taken place on same sex wards.