RADICAL healthcare plans which could see the Royal Bolton become a "super hospital" will soon be open to public comments.

Health bosses from across Greater Manchester met today to approve a consultation over the shake-up, which could see five specialist centres created in the region.

Three of them will be the Royal Oldham Hospital, Manchester Royal Infirmary and Salford Royal Hospital.

The Royal Bolton is vying with the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary in Wigan and Wythenshawe Hospital and Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport to be one of the other two.

The meeting at Manchester Town Hall saw representatives from all 12 Greater Manchester clinical commissioning groups (CCG) vote in favour of the public consultation.

The Bolton News has launched the Best of Health for Bolton campaign to urge people to rally behind the Royal Bolton in its fight to become a ‘super-hospital’.

The consultation period is to be launched on July 8, subject to NHS England giving its approval at a meeting on Monday.

Ultimately the public will choose where they would like the other two ‘super hospitals’ to be located, based on access, patient experiences as well as the hospital’s financial position and performance.

Healthier Together will advertise its consultation on 48 billboards across the region and by putting posters up on phone boxes.

It will also seek to promote the shake-up proposals on buses and by having a bus tour visit each of the 12 areas.

Programme director Alex Heritage said: "We have kept the wording of the consultation clean and simple with messages such as 'healthcare is changing in Greater Manchester'.

"Hopefully this will entice a group of people, such as 18-29-year-olds, that don't tend to get involved in public sector consultations."

Bosses at the Royal Bolton are proposing to invest heavily in maternity, children and obstetrics services as well as the A&E department, if the hospital becomes a specialist centre.

Health chiefs say the restructure could save 1,000 lives per year but trade unions argue it represents cuts and a “downgrade” of services.

The Bolton NHS Foundation Trust — which runs the hospital and community services — now has to convince the public why the Royal Bolton is the best for the job.

Chairman David Wakefield has said that it is time a quiet revolution at the trust becomes a “noisy” one, arguing that its performance has been “as good, if not better” than neighbours.

North Manchester, Fairfield in Bury and Tameside could be classed as “local hospitals” under the proposals — a possibility for Bolton if it is not chosen as a specialist centre.

Healthier Together has made it clear that Bolton’s maternity ward and A&E department are not threatened by the plans.

The consultation period will run for 12 weeks until September 30.