Regulators are to conduct a review of leadership at the trust which runs Royal Bolton Hospital after concerns from staff whistleblowers.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) have confirmed a "well led" review of Bolton NHS Foundation Trust will happen in the coming weeks after claims which are believed to include bullying and intimidation of people who raise freedom to speak up concerns.

In a separate development, CQC inspectors visited the hospital unannounced last Wednesday after getting specific concerns about children and young people’s services at the trust.

The trust said that it welcomed both well-led inspection and last week’s review of services for children and young people which they say will help them find "where we need to improve".

A spokesman for the CQC said they "were on site inspecting the core service of children and young people’s services to follow up on previous concerns".

On the need for a "well led" review of management culture at the trust, regulators are set to investigate a series of whistle-blowing claims about the leadership.

At its last full inspection the trust was rated as "outstanding" for its leadership.

However, it is understood that several staff members have contacted NHS England and the CQC in recent months to voice concerns.

A CQC spokesman, said: “The trust remains subject to ongoing monitoring and we’ll be carrying out a further well led inspection and the findings will publish in a report in due course.”

Jackie Njoroge, interim chair at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We welcomed colleagues from the Care Quality Commission last week to help us understand where our services for children and young people are doing well, and where we need to improve.

“We are also awaiting a well-led inspection which presents an opportunity for the CQC to speak to all staff in the organisation, which will help us to understand and address any areas where we can improve.”