HEALTH chiefs at the Royal Bolton and hospitals in Wigan and Salford have vowed to work together — whichever sites are chosen as ‘super hospitals’.

On Wednesday, chiefs from Greater Manchester's 12 clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) decided the region’s 10 hospitals would operate as part of four ‘single services’.

Healthier Together — the biggest healthcare shake-up for generations — is hoped to save 300 lives each year.

It will see local hospitals share services with a specialist hospital — and could see the Royal Bolton chosen as a ‘super centre’ to provide specialist emergency surgery.

Salford, Oldham and central Manchester are already earmarked as specialist centres with the Royal Bolton, Wigan, Stockport and Wythenshawe all in the running to be the other.

If the Royal Bolton chosen as the last specialist centre — during a second meeting on July 15 — it will carry out emergency and high-risk surgery.

If the hospital is not chosen, it will still have an A&E department, planned surgery and full acute medical care.

Last year Bolton, Salford and Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Foundation Trusts — pitted against each other as rivals — announced they had formed an alliance.

The three trusts are deciding on how to secure the highest quality of care for patients with urgent and emergency needs under a 'North West sector alliance'.

A spokesman for the alliance said: “Our trusts serve neighbouring geographical areas and have a history of successful joint working over many years.

“We believe that this provides a strong foundation for the implementation of the Healthier Together proposals agreed by commissioners and specifically the delivery of the quality and safety standards for our patients.

“The decision on the number of high risk sites in Greater Manchester is quite rightly one for commissioners and we look forward to the outcome of their decision on the location of the single services and sites.

“We are committed to working with local commissioners to develop services that meet the needs of our local population and those of neighbouring populations.”

More than 22,000 people across the region took part in the Healthier Together consultation — 1,755 of them from Bolton.

Overall, the public showed more support for five sites but also said they would rather have care at their local hospital even if that only meant having four sites.

The four-site option, which is better value for money but does provide slightly longer travel times, will now be implemented in the next two to three years.