The hospital was established as a fever hospital and built adjacent to the 'Fishpool Workhouse' in 1872.[1]
An isolation block was added in 1893 and a purpose-built infirmary, known as Townley's Hospital, was erected on the site in 1896.[1] The workhouse buildings, by then known as the 'Fishpool Institute', became part of the hospital in 1913.[2]
The hospital joined the National Health Service in 1948 and became Bolton District General Hospital in 1951.[1] After the services of the Bolton Royal Infirmary transferred to Bolton District General Hospital in 1996,[3] the latter facility became the Royal Bolton Hospital.[1][4] The old 'Fishpool Institute' buildings were demolished in 2011.[2]
In December 2014 it was reported that the hospital had a serious backlog of maintenance problems, amounting to £24.6 million, without which the crumbling concrete structural floor supports under a urology operating theatre could give way - with "dire" consequences.[5] The trust applied for £30 million to upgrade its premises and redesign its information technology in May 2015. The heating and air conditioning systems had reached the end of their useful life.[6] It was given a loan of £22.5 million and a grant of £7.5 million in September 2015.[7]
Facilities
The Royal Bolton Hospital is one of the busiest NHS hospitals in the North West and was the busiest in Greater Manchester, having over 32,000 admissions, in 2007-08 year.[8]
References
^ abcd"Bolton". Workhouses. Retrieved 24 May 2018.