Royal Bolton Hospital to open Community Diagnostic Centre

Since building work began in April of last year, construction teams have worked more than 85,000 hours to transform the building on Minerva Road, Farnworth, with 190 tonnes of material stripped out to make way for the creation of the brand new centre.

Bolton’s new state-of-the-art Community Diagnostic Centre will improve access to vital tests and scans, such as X-ray, CT and MRI

And to mark the major milestone, staff from Bolton NHS Foundation Trust and construction partners came together to celebrate with a ribbon-cutting event.

Rae Wheatcroft, Chief Operating Officer at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said: “It’s fantastic to see the vision we had for a dedicated diagnostic centre in Bolton come to life over the past twelve months.

“Thank you everyone who played a part in making the plans a reality, all with the same goal of creating a brand new space that will support thousands of patients across Bolton for years to come.

“Patients will have quicker and easier access to vital tests and scans, while our staff will be working with the latest MRI, CT and X-ray technology in a bright and modern space.”

Once the centre is fully operational, thousands of patients will benefit from quicker and easier access to vital tests and scans to help diagnose and treat a range of conditions much sooner.

Installation of the MRI scanner (Image: Bolton NHS Foundation Trust)Ryan Calderbank, Divisional Director of Operations at the Trust, said: “Improving access to important scans like X-rays and MRIs will help us to diagnose conditions and make sure patients get the treatment and care they need as early as possible.

“With increasing demand for our diagnostic services this dedicated centre will allow us to maximise our capacity to reduce waiting times and deliver the best possible care for our communities.

“I would like to thank the project teams and clinical and corporate staff for all their efforts and helping us to create a diagnostic centre that Bolton can be really proud of.”

Earlier this year, a brand new state-of-the-art MRI scanner, two CT scanners and an X-ray scanner were delivered and installed in their new home.

David Vaal, Managing Director of Overbury’s northern operation said: “At Overbury we are passionate about giving back and adding value to the communities in which we work.

“We are delighted to have been involved in this important community health project, and proud to have been able to support the Our Bolton NHS Charity with the valuable work they do for the residents of the local area.”

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The signage has been installed (Image: Bolton NHS Foundation Trust)With the re-opening of J Block at Royal Bolton Hospital, a small number of services will be relocating from their current spaces in the coming days and weeks.

From Tuesday April 2, General Outpatients will be located on the First Floor of J Block, directly above the Community Diagnostic Centre.

The construction of the Community Diagnostic Centre at Royal Bolton is only one of a number of projects making progress on Minerva Road.

The Institute of Medical Sciences, formerly the Bolton College of Medical Sciences, is on course to open for the start of the academic year in September 2024.

A map to help navigate around the hospital is available on the Trust’s website.

If you have a story or something you would like to highlight in the community, please email me at chloe.wilson@newsquest.co.uk or DM me on X @chloewjourno.