A FORMAL inspection of Bolton NHS Foundation Trust will start later this month — and the Government's health watchdog wants to hear from you.

The Care Quality Commission will start a formal inspection of Bolton NHS Foundation Trust on March 22.

A CQC spokesman said: "People's views and experiences will help inspectors decide what to look for when they visit the trust.

An informal stall will be in the health reception waiting area on the ground floor of Royal Bolton Hospital from 1pm to 4pm on March 15.

It will also in the main corridor near the main entrance of Bolton One in Moor Lane, Bolton, from 1pm to 4pm on March 17.

During the inspection, the CQC will be looking at A&E, medical care, surgery, intensive care, maternity, paediatrics, end-of-life care and outpatients services.

They will also be observing the following community services: Adult health services, end-of-life care, inpatient services and health services for children, young people and families.

England's chief inspector of hospitals, Professor Sir Mike Richards, said: "Our inspections are designed to provide people with a clear picture of the quality of the services in their local hospitals, exposing poor or mediocre care as well as highlighting the many hospitals providing good and excellent care.

"We know there is too much variation in quality — these in-depth inspections allow us to get a much more detailed picture of care in hospitals and community services than ever before.

"Of course, we will be talking to doctors and nurses, managers and patients in the hospital.

"But it is vital that we also hear the views of the people who have experienced the care provided by the trust over the course of the last year or so, or anyone who wants to share information with us."

The CQC will publish its findings later this year.