DOZENS of medical staff were attacked in Bolton last year by patients they were trying to help, new figures show.

There were 81 assaults on Bolton NHS Foundation Trust staff — who work at the Royal Bolton Hospital as well as in the community across and at medical centres the town.

There were also 377 assaults on paramedics working across the region for the North West Ambulance Service.

And there were 686 attacks on staff working for the Greater Manchester West Mental Health Foundation Trust (GMW), which runs mental health services in Bolton.

The figures were collected by NHS Protect, which probes crime across the health service.

Karen Reissmann, Unison representative for GMW which runs wards at the Royal Bolton Hospital, said: “I’ve heard from members that it has almost become routine that staff get assaulted, that it is part and parcel on the job.

“As the NHS is making cuts, waiting times are getting longer and there’s more pressure on the service.

"It’s not surprising that users get frustrated."

Andrew Maloney, director of human resources at GMW, said: "Assaults on our members of staff are taken very seriously. Such incidents are reported, investigated and managed as part of our Serious Untoward Incident policy."

“To minimise the risk to staff as well as patients, the organisation delivers extensive training in prevention and management of violence and aggression."

NHS Probe recorded a rise in attacks on ambulance staff.

Derek Cartwright, director of operations for NWAS, said: “The trust has been very proactive in encouraging staff to report all incidents, no matter how minor they may seem.

“We take incidents of violence and aggression towards staff extremely seriously.

“It is intolerable for paramedics to be attacked by the very people they are trying to help."

“The trust believes in encouraging our staff to take action on individuals who assault them, and will support them in escalating the matter by working with the CPS, police and partners to bring offenders to justice and impose appropriate sanctions.”

Heather Edwards, head of communications at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said almost 1,200 staff had received conflict resolution training over the past 12 months to help them defuse or manage difficult situations.

She added: “While there are some patients who may be aggressive due to their condition, we actively encourage staff to report all incidents of physical assault against them, regardless of circumstances.

“Deliberate acts of violence against NHS staff are not to be tolerated — this is not part and parcel of their jobs."

Su Long, chief officer at NHS Bolton Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “The NHS relies on our staff. Our local health service providers have the full support of NHS Bolton Clinical Commissioning Group in tackling this problem.”