• 2025 has seen continued pressures for the NHS in Bolton, but staff have risen to the challenge
• Multi-million pound upgrades of the hospital’s Emergency Department and Maternity Unit are underway
• The Trust has also launched important initiatives, including blood-borne virus testing and Martha’s Rule

2025 has been a year of continued challenges for the NHS, and we’ve been no different here in Bolton.

Despite this, our incredible staff have done what they do best – risen to the challenge, made the very best of the resources we have available, to provide the highest quality care to you and your families.

We’ve not stood still; embracing new opportunities and technologies to advance our care and services, developing our estates and introducing new ways of doing things so that you get the care you need, when and where you need it.

In the past 12 months we’ve had to move services to support this progress; working with our partner iFM Bolton to redevelop our emergency department and maternity unit and finalise plans to update our laboratories and hospital foyer.

Our staff have been recognised for their achievements both locally and nationally, and we’ve seen the Trust top the leader boards in several areas including patient safety and reducing hospital acquired infections.

And by our side all the way has been our charity partner, Our Bolton NHS Charity, stepping in to support us by funding areas that make a lasting and meaningful difference to the people of Bolton. They can’t do this without your support, so thank you for your generosity this year, and for helping us to go further together.

So here is a snapshot of 2025, the year that was for Bolton NHS Foundation Trust…

January

We launched the VCreate NICU diaries, and app that helps keep parents of babies on our neonatal unit connected with their little one’s milestones through photo and video updates.

We were the first hospital in Greater Manchester to introduce digital autopsies, working with Digital Autopsy UK to launch cutting-edge CT scanning technology to reduce invasive post-mortems by up to 75%.

We were amongst the first hospitals in the world to use the Genedrive System, a ground-breaking gene test that helps prevent lifelong hearing loss in babies.

February

We transformed lives with innovative thumb joint replacement surgery, a game-changing procedure, which reduces pain and restores grip and movement.

We maintained our Green FiCare accreditation in the Neonatal Unit, reaffirming our commitment to family-centred care, and continuing to empower parents as partners in their baby’s care.

March 

We were named number one in the country for the accuracy of our breast screening tests. Our performance in the national audit highlights that more patients receive the right diagnosis and treatment faster.

Together with NWAS, we launched the ‘Call Before Convey’ pilot, helping more people receive care in the community instead of coming to our Emergency Department. Over the 20-day trial, 45% of admissions were safely redirected to services like virtual wards and Urgent Community Response, easing pressures in the hospital and freeing up ambulances for emergencies.

We launched a life-saving blood-borne virus opt-out testing programme in our Emergency Department, helping to diagnose HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C earlier. By World Aids Day on 1st December, we’d already delivered nearly 20,000 tests.

April 

Work started on the transformation of our Emergency Department, with a £1.74m investment to improve the waiting room, ambulance handover area, mental health suite and sensory space. The works were completed and handed over mid-December ready for our busiest period.

We introduced AI technology to speed up skin cancer diagnosis by fast-tracking urgent cases, reducing unnecessary appointments, and improving outcomes for thousands of patients in Bolton.

May 

After a 12-month improvement programme, we were named the second most improved NHS Trust in England for Emergency Department 12-hour performance, and among the top ten for four-hour standard improvements. Thanks to new ways of working, better patient flow, and collaborative efforts across our teams, we delivered faster, safer care and helped more people return home sooner.

We celebrated 20 years of our Supervised Tooth Brushing Programme, which has helped thousands of children in Bolton maintain healthy smiles. With 112 settings and nearly 6,000 children taking part, we have seen a significant drop in tooth decay rates.

Thanks to the support of Our Bolton NHS Charity and their wonderful supporters, we were able to introduce hot cots on our post-natal ward. These innovative heated mattresses play an important role in keeping parents and babies together and reduce admissions to the neonatal unit.

We broke ground on the £38 million redevelopment of our Maternity and Women’s Health Unit. The new unit will include state-of-the-art facilities, including modern birthing suites, a new gynaecology unit, and improved neonatal care spaces.

We led the national rankings for faster cancer diagnosis and treatment, with nine in ten patients receiving results within 28 days and 89% starting treatment within 62 days. Thanks to innovative triage processes and teamwork across services, we improved patient experience and took a major step toward our ambition to diagnose all cancers at stage one or two by 2028.

Our Endoscopy service was also reaccredited by the Joint Advisory Group (JAG) for delivering high-quality, consistent care.

June 

We achieved Silver accreditation in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme, recognising our commitment to supporting veterans, reservists, and the wider armed forces community.

We launched Harvey’s Lab Tours to help children feel more at ease during hospital visits, by giving them a behind-the-scenes look at our testing laboratories and discovering the fascinating world of healthcare science.

July 

We received a Gold Award from the University of Manchester for delivering an excellent standard of medical student placements in Elderly Care and Microbiology.

We launched ‘Steps of Support’, a walk-and-talk initiative in Bolton parks, led by our Specialist Mental Health Midwives to help mums, parents, and families feel supported.

August 

We were recognised as an outstanding performer for screening premature babies for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), achieving an above national average 95.9% screening rate.

We launched a major upgrade to our Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), investing millions to improve how we process over eight million tests annually – the first Trust in GM to go live with the full system.

September 

We extended our electronic patient record (EPR) to our community and outpatient services, replacing paper processes with streamlined digital workflows.

Our labs opened their doors to children for the very first time as we hosted our first-ever Harvey’s Lab Tour to help young people in hospital, and their families, feel more at ease about the care they’re receiving.

October 

Our maternity development continued at pace, as we started removing the RAAC from the building using state-of-art technology. For the first time in a UK hospital, we also kept vital services running by using an innovative inflatable roof.

We paused to celebrate the incredible work of staff at our annual FABB Awards, with more than 600 nominations received, each recognising their hard work and dedication to improve care and transform lives for people in Bolton.

November 

Once again, we were nationally commended for our cancer performance, and named as one of just three NHS trusts in England to consistently meet national cancer targets over 12 months.

We celebrated our Director of Midwifery, Janet Cotton, as she received the Chief Midwifery Officer’s Silver Award, a national honour recognising her outstanding leadership and commitment to improving maternity care for families in Bolton.

December 

We marked a historic milestone with our partners as the University of Greater Manchester officially opened their £40m Institute of Medical Sciences on the hospital site. The brand-new facility will train our future workforce and transform healthcare for our communities.

We ended the year celebrating the generosity of our communities, as families, businesses and even celebrities, visited the hospital to gift donations and Christmas presents to our patients.

Thank you to everyone for your support throughout the last 12 months. You can still support our Christmas appeal, and help Our Bolton NHS Charity to continue making a difference where it matters the most.

‘Thanks to the commitment and collaboration of our teams’

Dr Niruban Ratnarajah, Chair at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said:

This year has brought with it significant financial challenges, and in 2026 we’ll continue to have to make difficult decisions about how we operate. These efforts are being made with one unwavering priority in mind: ensuring that patient safety and the quality of care remain at the heart of everything we do.

“We’re fortunate that in Bolton we like to do things differently and think outside of the box when it comes to future-proofing our services and delivering the best possible care. We’re already transforming the ways we work, and we’ll continue to harness that drive for innovation and improvement.

“It’s important we reflect on our achievements over the past twelve months. Thanks to the commitment and collaboration of our teams, we’ve made significant improvements to our services. Our colleagues continue to go above and beyond every day to provide care, support, and advice to the people of Bolton and we couldn’t do what we do without their compassion, resilience and professionalism.