THE Royal Bolton Hospital’s response to plans to shake up health services in the town has been labelled as “defensive”.

Bosses at the Royal Bolton are in the midst of thrashing out a response to the Healthier Together review.

But health chiefs have warned that the hospital currently sounds like a “dissatisfied customer” in its reply to the plans.

Under the proposals, the Royal Bolton could become one of four or five specialist centres in Greater Manchester.

Bolton NHS Foundation Trust directors were shown a draft response to the proposals at Thursday’s board meeting.

Mark Harrison, non-executive director of the trust, said: “I don’t think this is going to produce a sympathetic response.”

“We sound like a dissatisfied customer.”

Chairman of the board, David Wakefield, agreed that the response sounded “defensive”.

The deadline for the end of the consultation has now been extended to October 24.

Critics of Healthier Together say proposals unfairly pits neighbouring hospitals against each other.

Under the review options, the Royal Bolton is competing with Wigan for “super hospital” status.

However directors at Bolton, Wigan and Salford have now announced plans to collaborate on an alternative option The report outlined the proposed alliance between Bolton, Salford and Wigan to form the North West Sector.

The report said: “Rather than focusing on a specialist hospital site status we believe the solution for our sector is to create single service partnerships where specialist care will be consolidated on to fewer hospital sites.

“We will work collaboratively in other ways to enable standards to be met across our sector.”

Mr Wakefield said: “The response to the consultation is around us being a specialist centre.

“The narrative should be based on minimum disruption for patients and excellent care. I would like that to shine through in the response.”

Directors agreed they would prefer the options of five specialist sites rather than four.

If Bolton is given specialist status, it will carry out emergency and high-risk surgery for patients.

If not, it will still keep its A&E department and operate as a “general hospital”.

To fill out the questionnaire, go to: healthiertogethergm.nhs.uk