THE Royal Bolton’s chairman has said he is “disappointed” at health bosses’ decision to split the region’s hospitals into four – not five – ‘single sites’.

The decision by the leaders of Greater Manchester’s NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) means the Royal Bolton now has a one in four chance of being named a specialist ‘super hospital’.

At a crunch Healthier Together meeting last month, CCG chiefs voted unanimously in favour of creating four single sites – ruling out the possibility of a five-site option which the public preferred but which would have taken longer to implement.

A second public meeting of the Committees in Common (CiC) at Manchester Town Hall on July 15 will decide where the specialist centres will be located.

At a meeting of Bolton NHS Foundation Trust’s board, chairman David Wakefield said: “From a board perspective we are disappointed, but we totally recognise this is the commissioners’ decision.

“We will await the naming of the sites. Beyond that there is not a lot we can say until the sites are named.”

With Salford, Oldham and central Manchester are already earmarked as likely options, the Royal Bolton, Wigan, Stockport and Wythenshawe are all vying for the fourth spot.

Geographically, the decision to create four sites means it is most likely Stockport, not Bolton, will be named the fourth centre.

Regardless of which choice is made, the Royal Bolton Hospital will still treat the majority of its patients, carrying out full acute medical care and planned surgery, and will retain its A&E department.

Staff will be pooled across the specialist and local hospitals in each site, working together so emergency surgery can be carried out seven days a week.

After the first Healthier Together meeting Dr Wirin Bhatiani, Chairman of NHS Bolton CCG, said: “The decision is a clinical one — led by GPs representing all parts of Greater Manchester.

“We believe that four single services is the right option for our region.

“There would be no additional clinical benefit from a fifth site and it would take longer to achieve high standards for patients.”