Royal Bolton Hospital new Transfer of Care Hub opening

The idea is for hospital and community services to work together ‘under one roof’ to identify which additional support is needed for people once they have been discharged.

The Integrated Transfer of Care Hub will be open seven days a week to reduce the amount of time they spend in hospital and creating tailored plans to support people home.

Key features of an Integrated Transfer of Care Hub include all teams working together to care for the patient inside and outside of hospital, with teams in place to support patients in their home.

The new hub will working with voluntary organisations, including Age UK Bolton and armed forces charities.

Patients who require additional support after leaving hospital will arrive in the Integrated Transfer of Care Hub to receive a full assessment and make sure they’re being discharged to the place that best meet their needs.

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For these patients it means less duplication of assessments and reduced likelihood of deconditioning, infection, confusion or disorientation and increased dependence.

The transformation of N Block is underway, with construction work set to be complete by September 2026.

Rae Wheatcroft, Chief Operating Officer at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said:“We know that once patients are well enough to go home safely, staying in hospital longer than they need can end up slowing down their recovery.

N Block. Picture Bolton NHS Foundation Trust

“Our Integrated Transfer of Care Hub will see a team of health and care professionals, community services, and voluntary and social enterprise organisations working together from the moment a patient is admitted to find out what support they might need once they’re out of hospital and back in the place they call home.

“Connecting services together in this way means our patients will spend less time in hospital whilst at the same time freeing up bed capacity for other patients who need our help too.”

The creation of the hub forms part of the Trust’s 2024-2029 strategy to create new models of care that better meet the needs of Bolton and reduce pressure on hospital services, as well as with the government’s 10 Year Health Plan for England which focuses on shifting care from hospitals to communities.