BOLTON health bosses are to seek the views of patients before deciding how some of the region's most highly specialised services should be developed.

A consultation document submitted to Wigan and Bolton Health Authority asked for members' views on the future development of renal services, neuroscience services and specialist children's services in Greater Manchester.

But Director of Commissioning Brenda O'Driscoll said a more effective consultation ought to involve the users to find out their views.

In the case of renal services the consultation document, drawn up by West Pennine Health Authority, sets out plans to site the main specialised centres at Manchester Royal Infirmary and Salford.

The controversy surrounding neurosciences and its future development and location has already been widely reported. In this latest document however, four main options are set out.

These include retaining the status quo, centralising neurosurgery at Hope Hospital and maintaining specialised neurology at both Hope and Central Manchester hospitals.

The third option is to create a single neuroscience centre at Hope, closing the neurosurgery departments at North and Central Manchester and moving specialised neurology on to the same site. The alternative is to create a single neuroscience centre at Manchester Royal Infirmary, and close neurology services at Hope and North Manchester and transfer them on to the MRI site.

Similar controversy surrounds the development of specialised children's services.

Three options being considered include maintaining the status quo, focusing all services at either Booth Hall or the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital or moving all services on to one specialised, teaching hospital site either Hope or St Mary's are set out.

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