A HOSPITAL in Bolton could be closed and part of the site sold, health bosses have announced.

Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust, Bolton Primary Care Trust (PCT) and Bolton Council will now consult with each other and the public about the future of Hulton Hospital, in Hulton Lane, Deane, which cares for long-stay elderly patients.

Options under consideration include developing and retaining the current services at the Hulton site or finding alternative ways of meeting the needs of patients in the community.

Hospital staff fear for their jobs but the Hospitals Trust has planned that from the end of March all employees working at Hulton Hospital will have the option of moving to vacant posts at the Royal Bolton Hospital or to jobs with the PCT helping rehabilitate elderly people at home.

Under the plan, patients could be moved from the Hulton site as early as March. The hospital buildings could be retained and redeveloped as a community based care facility, as part of the Bolton NHS and social care system.

That redevelopment could allow the sale of part of the site with the money generated being reinvested in local health services.

Some patients at Hulton Hospital would be moved to recently renovated wards at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

The remaining patients would be rehabilitated either in residential homes or in their own home, supported by specialist staff.

Jackie Bene, a consultant physician with the Royal Bolton Hospital, specialising in elderly medicine, said: "Whatever happens following the consultation, the people who currently use the services at Hulton Hospital can be certain that the care they receive will be just the same, if not better, in future."

Many of the 16 buildings that make up the hospital, some dating back to 1908, need major repair or demolition.

Bolton Community Health Council watchdogs asked in December for the hospital site to be cleared and rebuilt, saying that the wards are out of date.

Anyone who wants to see the consultation document and make comments about the proposals should contact the Chief Executive of the Bolton Hospitals Trust, John Brunt on 01204 390818.

There will also be two public meetings held to allow people to ask questions about the proposals. Dates have yet to be announced.

You can also read the document on the internet at: www.boltonhospitals.nhs.uk