MATERNITY staff at the Royal Bolton Hospital say they are prepared for an increase in patients following the closure of the baby unit at Fairfield Hospital, Bury.

Mums-to-be are expected to be travelling from Bury to Bolton to give birth now the phased closure of the Fairfield unit has started.

It will close for good on Friday.

Services were scrapped as part of the £120 million Making It Better Programme, which aims to improve healthcare in the community and concentrate hospital services in fewer, larger units.

The Royal Bolton has been preparing for the closure for several years.

The programme has seen £20 million invested in facilities and equipment in preparation for the transfer of maternity services from Bury and Salford.

A Royal Bolton Hospital spokesman said: “We have expanded and refurbished our maternity unit which now provides 14 delivery rooms, increased theatre and high dependency care capacity, five delivery rooms on a midwife-led birth suite, 43 postnatal beds and a new antenatal day unit.

“We have also expanded and refurbished our special care baby unit and built a new neonatal intensive care for the sickest and smallest babies.”

Staff numbers have increased dramatically at the hospital, with 130 staff joining from the units in Bury and Salford, including a consultant, midwives and neonatal nurses.

Letters will be sent this week to mothers in Bury who have chosen to continue their care at Bolton.

Sue Anderton, head of midwifery at the Royal Bolton, added: “We are delighted to be welcoming mums and their babies from Bury into our maternity services this week.

“We have worked very hard to ensure all mums receive the very best care, and that the transfer from Bury to ourselves is as seamless as possible.”

Routine maternity care before and after the birth will continue to be provided in Bury. Overnight children’s wards at Fairfield will close but the A and E department will continue to treat children.