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DAVID Fillingham, chief executive of Bolton Royal Hospitals NHS Trust.
Rival says Hope is too small to survive
Laura Lynott9/ 3/2006
THE boss of the hospital vying with Hope to keep its maternity services has said the Salford hospital's baby unit is too small.
David Fillingham, chief executive of Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust, made the claim at Salford City Council's Children's Services and Community Health and Social Care Scrutiny Committee.
The meeting was also attended by his Salford counterpart, David Dalton, chief executive of Salford Royal Hospitals NHS Trust.
Although both bosses said they would not criticise the other's hospital, both Mr Dalton and Mr Fillingham used the meeting to put their case forward.
Bolton Royal's chief pointed out the reasons why Bolton would be a suitable option for Salford mums and said Hope's current unit is too small to be a viable option for expansion.
He highlighted figures which showed Bolton offered care to 5,800 mums last year, with hundreds coming from areas such as Little Hulton. Hope Hospital handled around 2,500 births over the same period.
Mr Fillingham said: "To try to grow a unit from 2,000 births is not possible. You would have to employ more staff. We have to look to the future. Bolton had 5,800 births last year."
"I am not going to say anything against Hope. It is a very good hospital."
He also said Bolton was geographically near enough for Salford's mums to use its service - which would effectively see all Salfordians born Boltonians.
David Dalton said: "I would not want to undermine services at Bolton. It offers superb care. This is not about throwing mud at each other.
"My Trust has one of the only three neonatal intensive care units in the north west. It is accredited for the training of junior medical staff.
"Salford has leadership in looking at how medical care can be extended across Greater Manchester and we have seen a surge in new births in Salford at around two-and-a-half thousand."
Mr Dalton also argued that Hope's neurosciences centre is the only unit specialising in care for pregnant women.
Bolton's boss accepted that mothers giving birth at the Royal who needed emergency neurological care would have to be transported to Hope for expert medical attention.
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10/03/2006 at 12:35
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