Hospitals shocked at claims Jimmy Savile preyed on children during visits Two hospitals have described their shock after fresh allegations were made against the late TV presenter Sir Jimmy Savile which suggested he preyed on children during visits to wards as part of his catalogue of abuse. Nurses dreaded Savile's visits Allegations that Savile abused brain-damaged patient Claims have emerged that Savile groped young patients at Buckinghamshire's Stoke Mandeville Hospital, where he worked as a volunteer fundraiser, while one woman has claimed she saw him molest a brain-damaged hospital patient at Leeds General Hospital. Nurses at Stoke Mandeville are understood to have dreaded Savile's visits because of his behaviour, and would tell children to stay in bed and pretend to be asleep when he came round. Former patient Rebecca Owen told BBC News she overheard nurses talking in a way that suggested he also targeted them. "It was an air of resignation that you had to put up with," she said. There was some sort of ironic chatter between the nurses about who would be the lucky one to go off to his room. A spokesman for Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs Stoke Mandeville, said: "We are shocked to hear of the serious allegations about Jimmy Savile. At this stage in the proceedings it would not be appropriate for us to conduct our own internal investigation, however we have been contacted by the police this week and are supporting them fully with their inquiries. If their findings suggest that we do need to take further action then we will do so. Investigation A spokesman for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said: "We are shocked at the nature and extent of the very serious allegations made against Jimmy Savile which were revealed by the Metropolitan Police on Wednesday. We have made contact with the police and they will be meeting with us to discuss their investigation. The Trust does not have any record of complaints about Jimmy Savile's behaviour made during the time he was a volunteer and charity supporter at Leeds General Infirmary or at any of our other hospitals. As a result of the TV documentary and subsequent media publicity we have, however, been contacted by two individuals, one of whom wishes to remain anonymous, about incidents said to have occurred in the 1970s. Clearly this whole matter needs to be looked into fully and we will give every co-operation to the police, who are best placed to do so. At this stage we are not aware to what degree their investigation relates to incidents in Leeds. The hospitals urged anyone with any concerns to contact police. The raft of allegations against Savile have been branded a "cesspit" by BBC Trust chairman Lord Patten, who said he wants to ensure the corporation's policies are "fit for purpose" and pledged its own independent inquiry will be launched as swiftly as possible after the police investigation. Apology He has insisted the decision not to continue with a BBC Newsnight investigation into the former Top of the Pops presenter was not because the programme's editor was "leaned on." Lord Patten also suggested director-general George Entwistle could make a prominent apology - possibly on prime-time TV - on behalf of the BBC once the claims have been unravelled. The BBC has in place child protection policies, processes, guidance for us by all staff on and off the premises and independents making programmes for the BBC. We've asked the director-general to assure us that those policies are up to date and fit for purpose, that they're effective in protecting minors and under-age children. We've also said that we want to be satisfied on the arrangements in place for dealing with sexual harassment, bullying and whistleblowing and we want to be sure that those guidelines that do exist are gold standard and up to date and comply with current best practice. Savile's headstone has been removed from Woodlands Cemetery in Scarborough after a decision by his family out of "respect to public opinion." It will be sent to landfill and his grave will remain unmarked for now. Rape Police believe he could have abused up to 25 victims on a national scale over a period of 40 years, and have so far formally recorded a number of criminal allegations including rape and indecent assault. Greater Manchester Police and Tayside Police became the latest forces to receive complaints. Greater Manchester said: "As part of an investigation being headed by the Metropolitan Police Service into allegations of sexual abuse made against the late James Savile, Greater Manchester Police has, to date, recorded two separate complaints. These are historic complaints dating back to the 1960s. Tayside Police said: "A disclosure has been made to Tayside Police regarding an historical incident that happened in the Liverpool area. Full details will be provided to the Metropolitan Police, and support is being offered to the woman concerned.