HEALTH correspondent Kathryn Eccles talks to former Royal Bolton Hospital chief executive John Brunt about his career

SITTING in the living room of his home in Edgworth John Brunt beams with pride as he talks about his 10 years at the helm of the Royal Bolton Hospital.

His affection for the hospital, the staff, from doctors to administration staff, is clear.

Mr Brunt, aged 51, said: "I'm very proud of what we have achieved at Bolton, particularly in the two areas of clinical services and the development of buildings. When I first came, clinical services were limited and the buildings were in need of modernisation.

"People used to have to go to Manchester, to Hope and Salford, for what we would now regard as basic treatments, such as opthamology and minor surgery."

Mr Brunt, married with two sons and two daughters, had the difficult task of relocating the hospital to its present site at Minerva Road.

Building work started in 1994, work was completed in September 1996 -- and the project was a success.

But it was the clinical services that would really affect the people of Bolton.

Mr Brunt said: "From the beginning we wanted to expand clinical services and, through the recruitment of excellent clinical staff, we have done that. Examples are the children's mental health services and the accident and emergency department. The orthopaedic doctors used to run A&E. We had no A&E consultants but now we have five. We doubled the number of consultants in anaesthetics as well as a complete range of sub-specialities. We have the highest proportion of children's anaesthetists in district hospitals around Manchester.

"Of course, it is not just clinical services. We have an exceptional estates department, administration and others -- I can't name them all!

"But it is not just the hospital. We have worked well with the Community Health Council, Social Services and I've had a good relationship with the Bolton Evening News."

But, most pleasing of all to Mr Brunt, is the caring atmosphere in the hospital.

He said: "People actually want to come and work in Bolton because it is a great place to come and work.

"There is a very friendly atmosphere that is backed up by a hard-nosed approach to development and training. It's a smashing place to work; people really care for each other.

"I can't think of a single service that has not improved in the last 12 years."

Mr Brunt hails from Swinton and studied at Manchester University before joining the NHS 30 years ago as a finance trainee. After posts at Prestwich and South Manchester, he came to Bolton as unit general manager of Bolton Royal Infirmary in 1986. He was elected President of the Institute of Healthcare Management in 2000.

He has no immediate plans for his future, but says he will be taking a holiday to France with his family.

New man in the hot seat

DAVID Fillingham, aged 44, the man replacing Mr Brunt, has been Director of the Modernisation Agency for the Department of Health since 2001, providing national leadership for promoting improved services through new ways of working.

Mr Fillingham has chief executive experience at University Hospitals of North Staffordshire, St Helens and Knowsley Health Authority and Wirral Family Health Authority as well as having worked in the industry.

Mr Fillington is married with two daughters and lives in St Helens.