Just a day after it was revealed that wards for elderly patients at Altnagelvin Hospital in Londonderry were in an "appalling condition", it has emerged that staff at Muckamore Abbey Hospital in Antrim have been assaulted more than 100 times by patients in the last four months.

A report yesterday by the Western Health and Social Care Council highlighted dirty toilets and bathrooms in the Co Londonderry facility. Four wards in total came in for criticism from the survey.

Now, there's news that some 115 staff have been attacked in the specialists Co Antrim hospital which deals with those with learning disabilities.

Some employees needed hospital treatment with one person suffering a suspected broken bone.

Others received bites which had broken the skin.

Belfast Trust said staff are given personal alarms and attend courses on managing aggression.

Maureen Piggott, from the charity Mencap, said money should be invested so that some people can be treated away from a hospital environment.

"People's behaviour, even distressed people's behaviour, changes for the better when they are where they want to be," she said.

"I think our continuing problem is that we're not investing in providing people with assessment and treatment options at home, being able to keep people where they are comfortable."

(BMcC)