HOSPITAL staff failed to act on complaints about Jimmy Savile's behaviour, leaving him to sexually abuse 60 people - including seriously ill children - over two decades, an inquiry has found.

At least 10 formal and informal complaints were made about Savile's conduct at Stoke Mandeville Hospital , but people were "too dazzled" by his status as a celebrity fundraiser to confront him.

An independent investigation found the entertainer's reputation as a "sex pest" was an "open secret" among some staff, but allegations probably did not reach senior managers.

The report also revealed Savile's victims at the Buckinghamshire hospital were aged between eight and 40 and the abuse ranged from inappropriate touching to rape - including the rape of children under the age of 12.

It found at least one official complaint should have been reported to police.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said people were "too dazzled or too intimidated by the nation's favourite celebrity to confront the evil predator we now know he was".

Making a statement in the Commons, he added: "What happened was horrific, caused immeasurable and often permanent damage and betrayed vulnerable people who trusted us to keep them safe.

"We let them down.

"Because of his celebrity and useful fundraising skills, the right questions, the hard questions, simply were not asked.

"Suspicions were not acted on and patients and staff were ignored.

"Never again must the power of money or celebrity blind us to repeated clear signals that some extremely vulnerable people were being abused."

One of the victims abused at the hospital was Scot Caroline Moore, who claims Savile sexually assaulted her during a visit to the spinal injuries unit in 1971.

She has previously spoken out to say she found it "scary" that people who could have stopped him did not, allowing him to go on and "do the most horrific things to people in the most awful circumstances".

Ms Moore, of Clarkston in Glasgow, claims she told her parents about the abuse but they did no believe her due to Savile's celebrity status.

She added: "He was powerful man and these types of places need funds."

In another report published on Thursday, NHS executive Kate Lampard revealed how Savile could have abused victims at almost a quarter of acute NHS hospitals - a total of 41.

Ms Lampard claimed Savile used his power and influence "to commit sexual abuses on a grand scale" and warned part of that power and influence was the result of encouragement from politicians - including Margaret Thatcher - senior civil servants and NHS managers.

She added that "many elements of the Savile story that could be repeated in future" and warned hospitals must be aware of a "weakness for celebrities".

Ms Lampard made a number of recommendations for the future, including that all hospitals and trusts should develop a policy for managing celebrity visits and make sure staff and volunteers are up to date with safeguarding every three years.

The report also recommended that safeguards are put in place over access to the internet and social media.

Mr Hunt said he would accept most of the recommendations in principle, but would not accept a call for all NHS volunteers to be subject to enhanced disclosure checks.

He added the NHS will be made safer for thousands of children and vulnerable adults as the "uncomfortable lessons from this terrible tragedy" are learnt.

The report found total of 177 men and women have come forward with allegations of abuse by Savile, covering a period between 1954 to shortly before his death in 2011.

At least 72 of those were children at the time of the abuse.

The reports are the latest in a series of inquiries into abuse.

Further investigations are now underway at Humber NHS Trust, Mersey Care NHS Trust and Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust.