THE chairman of the Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust board has said former chief executive John Brunt was "under a lot of stress and pressure".

At a hospital board meeting, Peter Liptrott formally thanked Mr Brunt for all his hard work at the hospital and in the NHS.

Mr Brunt has taken early retirement though colleagues say he was made to take the blame for the hospital's figures scandal, where waiting list figures were misrepresented to the Audit Commission earlier this year.

Mr Brunt was exonerated from the investigation but went off sick in March, just months after the allegations were made. He will take early retirement from the end of this month.

Mr Liptrott said: "John Brunt has formally decided to take early retirement. As it is known, he had been off ill for a number of months and had been under a lot of stress and pressure.

"He has already been into the hospital to say his goodbyes and his retirement takes effect from the end of the month when he will have completed 30 years in the NHS.

"John has done a tremendous amount for Bolton and we owe him a lot. We wish John a long and happy retirement."

David Fillingham, director of the Department of Health Modernisation Agency, will take over the role of Chief Executive from September 1.