A NEW spy camera network is to be installed at the Royal Bolton Hospital after a report found staff are at high risk of being attacked.

Bosses at the hospital are in the process of carrying out an assessment of their CCTV network.

They hope to update it in a bid to deter violent patients and their families.

Doctors, nurses and other hospital workers who come into contact with the public are also being given training in how to deal with threatening situations to prevent them becoming victims of abuse or physical violence.

The action plan has been drawn up after a risk assessment report at the hospital highlighted a continuing risk of violence and aggression to front line staff.

Beverley Andrews, director of corporate services at the Royal Bolton Hospital, said: "There are some areas of the hospital where violence is more common than in others, such as accident and emergency, where staff see large numbers of patients, some under the influence of alcohol.

"We have an ongoing programme of looking at our CCTV cameras and will be replacing our existing cameras with new, more effective models.

"The training will teach staff how to identify a possible violent patient or visitor and show them different ways of communicating with patients, how to manage difficult patients and how to deal with conflict when it arises."

Earlier this year it was revealed a record number of staff at the hospital were being attacked by patients and their families.

Figures released as part of the hospital's annual staff survey showed that one in 10 doctors, nurses and other staff members, were punched, kicked, slapped or spat at between April, 2005 and March, 2006.

They marked a one per cent rise on the same figures for 2004/2005, and when a sample of 459 staff were questioned at the hospital, 50 said they had been victims of violence.

Hospital bosses have vowed to do all they can to protect staff from attacks and are in the second year of a three year programme to train all 2,500 workers to deal with conflicts.

There is a police base in casualty, which has been there since 2002, so that officers can investigate serious incidents promptly.

The number of security guards at the hospital has increased and they have all been issued with stab vests in case of attack.

The risk register survey is carried out by hospital bosses annually and assesses which areas are deemed a high risk.