A student nurse is to stand trial for an alleged rape at Goodmayes Hospital.

Ige Apata, 42, is charged with three counts of rape and two counts of sexual touching earlier this year at the facility in Redbridge.

He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The alleged incidents were discussed earlier this month at a board meeting of the North East London Foundation Trust (NELFT), which runs the hospital.

Board members were told the trust had increased the number of safeguarding staff at the hospital.

The mental health facility serves patients in the boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge and Waltham Forest.

An NELFT spokesperson said: “The priority of our team is to ensure the safety of our patients.

“We are working closely with the Met police as part of their investigation and continue to offer close support to our service users, their families and our staff.”

Apata, of Higham Hill Road in Waltham Forest, was charged in March 2021 and will appear before a jury at Snaresbrook Crown Court on March 21, 2022.