A FAMILY are demanding answers from the Royal Bolton Hospital after £160 went missing from an elderly patient.

Pamela Tait, aged 71, suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and often needs hospital treatment.

But after she was taken by ambulance from her home in Deane and admitted on July 16 her daughter-in-law, Kirsty Tait, says £140 disappeared from her purse.

On August 3 Mrs Tait was admitted to the same ward, D2, and relatives claim another £20 went missing.

Dental nurse Kirsty Tait from Harwood, said: “I was so angry when I found out. I was livid, I thought how can someone steal off someone in hospital who is poorly?”

She added: “The staff were very dismissive. They were like “we will pass it on” but I wanted someone to speak to. It was like it was common.”

The hospital has apologised to the family and says it will investigate the incidents.

The disappearance of the cash has not been reported to the police because Mrs Tait says she does not want the “hassle” but her daughter-in-law is determined to pursue it with the hospital. Kirsty Tait said the first time the money went missing there was no record made of the cash her mother-in-law had with her when she was admitted to the ward. On the second occasion she said the hospital forms showed she had £25 but there was only £5 in her purse when her family visited the next day.

A spokesman for Bolton NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are very sorry that Mrs Tait has had money taken during her stay at the hospital and we take security issues like this very seriously.

“When a patient is admitted to a ward a list of their personal belongings, including any valuables, is recorded as part of their nursing assessment form and we offer to put any large amounts of money in the hospital safe. This incident is currently being investigated by senior staff and we will speak to Mrs Tait and her family to inform them of the outcome as soon as possible.”