A MENTAL health charity yesterday condemned staff at Broadmoor

hospital for moving towards industrial action over the introduction of a

more liberal regime.

More than 650 nurses at the high-security Berkshire hospital will be

balloted over industrial action in protest at the regime, under which

they say patients have made at least 90 attacks on staff so far this

year.

The Prison Officers' Association is also considering balloting members

over industrial action at Britain's two other high-security hospitals,

Rampton and Ashworth.

A new ''non-seclusion'' policy allows some of Britain's most dangerous

men and women more freedom inside Broadmoor.

A psychologist was attacked while interviewing a patient, a male nurse

had his ear ripped, and a woman nurse was punched to the ground and

kicked in recent incidents, POA officials said.

However, the health charity Mind said report after report had proved

that seclusion or solitary confinement should not be used to punish

people with severe mental health problems.

''The Prison Officers' Association seems determined to cling on to

this approach, but rather than defusing volatile situations, the use of

seclusion simply stokes up future problems,'' policy director Liz Sayce

said.

A better approach would be to improve training and support for staff

and facilities for patients, such as gyms, to allow them to let off

steam safely, she added.

Frank Mone, POA branch chairman, dismissed the Mind view. ''It is all

very well to say that sitting some distance away. They are not sitting

there getting attacked by patients,'' he said.

Violent patients could no longer be locked up, and since January 1 the

rate of attacks had doubled on last year, he claimed. At least 30% of 90

attacks on staff resulting in injuries were a direct result of the

non-seclusion policy, he added.

A Broadmoor spokeswoman said the number of attacks by patients on

staff was monitored closely by the hospital's management.