A MENTAL health nurse did not record rape allegations made by a patient "to keep him safe from gossip", a tribunal heard.

John Hales, 65, failed to conduct a thorough investigation into the claims made by a 19-year-old male patient on March 7, 2008.

The man, known as patient A, claimed he had been sexually attacked by another male patient, in his mid-20s, known as patient B.

The pair were both being cared for in the 14-bed Doulton Lodge mental hospital for men near Sleaford, which is run by Inmind.

Hales, of Lincoln, is accused of failing to properly investigate the complaint or record the incident in either of the patient's medical notes.

Luke Clancy, for the Nursing And Midwifery Council, told the hearing that action that Hales had taken "did not constitute adequate steps or an adequate response".

The hearing continues.