Work starts on £30m Bolton College of Medical Sciences

Main contractor Willmott Dixon is building the 81,000 sq ft facility on the site of a car park at the Royal Bolton Hospital in Farnworth.

The Bolton College of Medical Sciences will replace the car park and is due to open in September 2024. The medical and clinical training facility will include teaching and learning space, a café, and a staff and service space, as well as additional 250 surface car parking spaces. The building will be a part four-storey, part five-storey structure.

The project is expected to “transform how NHS workforces are trained in the UK, alleviate healthcare staffing pressures in Greater Manchester, and provide improved levels of care to the local community” according to Bolton Council, which approved the plans in June.

It is intended to give people a direct route into healthcare employment, focusing on practical learning in a live hospital environment through a range of courses and apprenticeships for those aged 16+, including higher and degree apprenticeships in areas such as nursing and care leadership and management.

In addition to the training opportunities for around 3,000 learners each year, the BCMS will deliver continual professional development opportunities for existing NHS staff.

The project is being led by the University of Bolton, Bolton College, Bolton NHS Foundation Trust and Bolton Council. Associated Architects designed the project, and the project team also includes Edgeplan and Box Clever.

BCMS was allocated £20m by the government’s Levelling Up Fund last year. Willmott Dixon is currently laying the foundations for the facility, with construction of the building frame due to begin next month.

Professor George Holmes, president, and vice-chancellor of the University of Bolton, said the facility is “arguably one of the most significant projects delivered in the North West in decades.

“Not only will it increase employment prospects in the local area and make healthcare professions more accessible, but it will also help alleviate NHS staffing pressures in Greater Manchester and provide improved levels of care in our community. It’s brilliant to see the build underway.”

Cllr Adele Warren, Bolton Council’s executive cabinet member for regeneration, added: “[BCMS] will be a great asset to our borough, creating jobs and giving residents the opportunity to learn skills and train for a new career.”