A MAJOR overhaul of stroke services is being carried out at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

The number of beds for seriously-ill stroke patients are to be increased and they will be moved closer to accident and emergency so that patients can be treated more quickly.

Stroke patients are often sent to the medical assessment ward or the clinical assessment unit after arriving at accident and emergency, before they are moved to another ward.

It is hoped that this will give critically ill patients a greater chance of survival and a faster recovery.

Dr Jackie Bene, associate medical director for medicine and emergency care at the Royal Bolton Hospital, said: "We constantly review our services to see where improvements can be made.

"It has become clear that our current arrangements for caring for acutely ill patients are no longer meeting needs, so we are changing them."

As part of the changes, the medical assessment ward and the clinical assessment unit are to be merged into one. The new unit, along with the short stay unit, will also be moved closer to accident and emergency.

The former short stay unit will be converted into a new 20-bed stroke ward and the number of rehabilitation beds for stroke patients will be increased from 28 to 46.

More junior doctors will be given specialist acute medical training to enable them to provide additional cover throughout the night.