STAFF at the Royal Bolton Hospital are no strangers to mass consultations and change.

Trust directors, doctors and midwives will be remember the “Making It Better” scheme, when the Royal Bolton become a £20 million super centre for the care of women, children and babies.

It saw the expansion of the maternity department in Bolton while other trusts such as Bury and Salford, lost their units.

The Healthier Together proposals are similar in that they will concentrate specialised services across Greater Manchester.

If the Royal Bolton is successful in Healthier Together, it will build on the work already laid out by Making It Better.

Maternity services will be a key part of the Royal Bolton’s bid, with bosses hinting they want to expand women, children and obstetrics even more.

About 6,000 babies are born at the Royal Bolton Hospital every year. The maternity unit could fulfil its 8,000 capacity if were to take on the service from another borough like Wigan.

David Wakefield, chairman of the Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We boast maternity standards that our neighbours can’t match.

“Our women, children and obstetrics is already a super-centre and that’s what we will be building on. We want to expand those services.”

The trust will also propose to expand Bolton’s busy A&E department as part of its super hospital bid.