A TOP surgeon is calling on the Government to give more money to the Royal Bolton Hospital after it was revealed that 155 jobs are to be axed and two wards closed.

Tony Banks, an orthopaedic surgeon, urged bosses to fight for extra cash and accused Whitehall chiefs of "chronic underfunding" of hospital services.

At Monday's Bolton NHS Trust Board meeting hospital bosses agreed to cuts being made in a bid to wipe out a £7.5 million debt.

Cutbacks include closing 26 beds for the elderly, the equivalent to an entire ward, closing a childrens ward and shelving plans to build a multi-story car park.

Unions have called on management to demand more funding for the hospital from the government, so the financial black hole can be filled.

Mr Banks agreed with the unions' calls for more funding for the hospital.

He said: "Quite simply this campaign needs to be taken to our political masters."

Mr Banks said morale at the hospital had reached rock bottom because of the financial concerns.

He said: "My biggest problem is that morale is appalling. Staff just feel as if they are being kicked and pulled. Even the salwarts are starting to worry."

Mr Banks is urging staff to be sympathetic with the management saying that David Fillingham, chief executive of the NHS hospital trust inherited a "poison chalice" when he took over the role last September.

"Brian Iddon is the only MP who has tried to do anything about it," he said.

This year, the hospital has been given an additional £6.6 million for salary increases and an extra £2 million for orthopedics, diagnostics, pathology and radiology.