SENIOR executives at the Royal Bolton Hospital have been severely criticised in a damning judgement by an independent health watchdog.

The hospital board will now to face monthly reviews by Monitor, which last night demanded more “robust” action to ensure services are run more effectively and waiting time targets are met.

Royal Bolton’s governing board has been heavily criticised by Monitor, which said it had “failed to address identified risks”.

It is the second time this year Monitor has met to discuss concerns at the hospital at a special meeting in London.

Merav Dover, compliance director at Monitor, said: “We need to see more robust action from the trust board to make sure services are run more effectively for patients by ensuring that healthcare targets are met.

“The Trust now has specific actions which it must urgently address and Monitor will be reviewing its progress on a monthly basis.”

The watchdog found the hospital in “significant breach” because of its failure to meet certain Government waiting time targets and its leadership and governance in dealing with these issues.

The board is now required by Monitor to have an external review.

The Bolton News revealed last week that the hospital had failed to meet the 18-week treatment time targets for treatment over the past year and has failed to hit four-hour accident and emergency waiting targets for the past six months.

Bolton NHS Foundation Trust chief executive Lesley Doherty has publicly apologised for failing to meet these targets and said the situation was “unacceptable”.

Last night she said: “The board is determined the Trust will meet its targets and we support our staff to do this as well as continue to maintain patient safety.”

Monitor’s review of the hospital comes after it failed to ensure that 95 per cent of A&E patients were admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours in the third quarter of the year, although it did meet the targets for March, and are expecting to achieve it for April.

It also failed to ensure 90 per cent of patients, who were referred for treatment at the hospital, were seen within 18 weeks.

One in 20 patients — about 900 — had to wait for nearly six months or more for treatment in the past year.

The hospital has blamed a higher number of ambulance and patient attendances in comparison to neighbouring hospitals, and an outbreak of the winter vomiting bug norovirus, which shut several wards to new admissions.

The Royal Bolton will retain its red “risk”

rating until there are significant improvements.

Cllr Cliff Morris, who is leader of Bolton Council and chairman of Bolton NHS Board, said: “My assurance is nothing clinical has happened and patient care has been protected and everything we needed to do has been done, it is just that we missed the targets.”

But Cllr Andy Morgan, who sits on Bolton Council’s Health Scrutiny Panel, said the report was unacceptable.

“The board needs to be shaken up to get some fresh blood and some new ideas.”

The hospital has put together a plan to meet the 18-week referral target, and have been monitoring A&E times.

Head of communications Heather Edwards said: “We have already put into place measures to achieve the targets whilst maintaining quality of care, and have also held an internal review of governance commissioned an external review.”

The hospital said no one had lost their job or faced disciplinary action over the issues.