THE family of a psychiatric patient who suffered serious burns after she set herself on fire say they are praying she pulls through.

Doreen Wootton, 69, was today described as stable in the specialist burns unit at Whiston Hospital in Merseyside.

Fire crews and paramedics were called to the elderly mentally ill unit at Queen's Park Hospital last Wednesday.

The woman had set herself on fire with a lighter.

The woman's 41-year-old daughter, who asked not to be named, said her mother was due to see a consultant at the hospital later today.

She said her mother had been an in-patient at Queen's Park since July.

She said: "She's still in a very bad way and we're waiting to see if she needs skin grafts.

"It's just a case of waiting and hoping she gets better and pulls through. She has burns from her waist right up to the bottom of her chin and up both arms as well.

"The consultant will see if she's well enough to go ahead with the grafts although she has a little bit of a chest infection at the moment."

Health chiefs at Lancashire Care Trust, which runs mental health services across the county, have launched an investigation into the incident.

Two nurses were also left with minor burns.

Chief executive Finlay Robertson said the inquiry would look at how the woman got access to the lighter and whether she was allowed to have one among her possessions.

He said they were still investigating today and interviewing staff who were on duty at the time.

But early indications were that they were not to blame.