Work is set to begin on a brand new £68 million “state of the art” trauma centre to expand the services at Salford Royal Hospital.
Following planning permission for the project – which was granted back in December 2019 – ground will be broken on the new six-storey development today, making Salford Royal a central hub for 90% of major trauma operations across Greater Manchester and a provider of support for people involved in serious incidents, such as car crashes or life-changing falls.
The new centre will be named the James Potter Building in honour of the hospital’s recently retired long-standing chairman.
Once complete, the new centre is expected to treat around 400 patients a year and is set to include a resuscitation area, five emergency theatres, inpatient beds, diagnostic imaging and even a helipad, which means that seriously ill patients will reach the site even quicker for potentially life-saving treatment.
It will also make Salford Royal a hub for high risk emergency general surgery for patients in Bolton and Wigan.
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Speaking on the start of construction Raj Jain – CEO of the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group, which runs Salford Royal – said: “This important facility has been many years in the planning with a number of our local, regional and national partners and it’s great to now be just weeks away from the official start date of construction.
“We are proud to be the major trauma centre for Greater Manchester and this centre and the amazing state of the art facilities and our specialist clinical teams within it will allow us to provide trauma care and services to an additional 400 trauma patients per year and help save more lives.
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“Our partnership with Bolton NHS Foundation Trust and Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust will see us use this facility as the home for a new single-service for high risk emergency general surgery.
“This new team will strive to provide a general surgery service with the best outcomes in the UK”.
BAM / Northern Care AllianceBAM / Northern Care Alliance
He continued: “We are of course currently working through the most challenging of times as we deal with the pressures and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic [but] the start of construction work is extremely welcomed and fills us all with excitement about the fantastic future that we can start to create for major trauma and complex general surgery services.”
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Rob Bailey – Healthcare Construction Manager at the company behind the construction work, BAM – said: “We have worked extensively on the design and programme with the trust to understand fully what their requirements are, and focus completely on what matters to them to provide a high quality building in which their patients are cared for and their staff can provide that care.
“That is how buildings should be delivered, with the outcomes the client wants placed at the centre.”
Health minister Edward Argar added: “I am pleased work is underway on this major development to provide state of the art new facilities and ensure patients can access specialised, life-saving treatment.
“The £68m new hospital at Salford Royal will be one of the 48 hospitals which we’re backing to deliver by 2030 as part of the biggest hospital building programme in a generation and strategic long-term investment in the future of our NHS.”
The new development is predicted to take until Summer 2023 to complete.
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No trams to run on three major Greater Manchester lines this Easter bank holiday weekend
Emily Sergeant
People are being urged to ‘plan ahead’ as no trams are set to run on three major Greater Manchester Metrolink lines this weekend.
As part of a continuing £150 million investment in the Metrolink network across the region, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has announced that more than 1km of track will be replaced on the Altrincham line, and work will also take place between Trafford Bar and Deansgate-Castlefield to prepare for full track replacement later in the year.
As a result, there will be no trams on the Altrincham, Eccles, and Trafford Park lines this Easter bank holiday weekend all day from Friday 3 to Monday 6 April.
On top of these line closures, there is also set to be disruption across other parts of the network too, as on the East Didsbury and Manchester Airport lines, trams will run to Firswood only, and services on the Rochdale line will terminate at Exchange Square.
To keep people moving over the four-day weekend, replacement buses will run between all the affected stops, TfGM has confirmed.
Anyone using a replacement bus, however, will still need a valid Metrolink ticket or a one-day Bee bus ticket to travel, and customers will be able to use all existing options to buy these, as they will not be able to buy a ticket or pay for the fare on the replacement buses themselves.
No trams will be running on three major Greater Manchester lines this Easter bank holiday weekend / Credit: TfGM
Replacement buses are said to be calling at ‘all affected stops’ along the lines, so customers are being told not to worry about that.
Speaking ahead of the improvement works being carried out this weekend, Ian Davies, who is the Network Director for Metrolink at TfGM, said: “The first main upgrades of the year get under way over the Easter weekend, as our £150m programme to improve our network continues.
“We’ll be doing everything we can to minimise disruption to passengers while we carry out this essential work to ensure our tram network remains reliable, resilient and safe for years to come.”
TfGM has assured that staff will be out and on-hand across the network this weekend, but is urging anyone travelling to plan for their journeys ahead of time to make sure they go as smoothly as possible.
Looking ahead to the rest of the month, no trams will run between Piccadilly Gardens and Ashton-under-Lyne on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 April while the track is repaired, and a further weekend closure for track repairs on the Ashton line will take place on Saturday 25 April and Sunday 26 April.
Find out more and plan ahead on the Bee Network’s dedicated webpage here.
Featured Image – Janus Boye
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Three men arrested after ‘shocking’ Salford pub fight leaves victim in life-threatening condition
Emily Sergeant
Three men have been arrested as police continue to appeal following a ‘shocking’ incident in Salford over the weekend.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that, at around 2:51am yesterday (Sunday 29 March), officers were called to reports of an assault at a pub on Liverpool Road in Irlam, where it’s understood that an incident involving several males took place.
Police quickly attended the scene, and one male was rushed to hospital.
The man sustained serious injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment, where he’s said to remain in a life-threatening condition.
While officers are working ‘at speed’ on their investigation to establish the full circumstances of this incident, a scene is currently in place, and road closures are affecting the immediate area.
At this time, it has been confirmed that three men – all in their 20s – have been arrested on suspicion of Section 18 assault, and they remain in custody for further questioning while GMP renews its public appeal for information.
“This is a shocking incident and our thoughts are firmly with the victim and his family during this extremely difficult time,” commented Detective Chief Inspector Helen Bagnall, from GMP’s Salford district. “We are working at pace and remain absolutely committed to identifying everyone involved and bringing those responsible to justice.
“Three arrests have been made in connection with this incident, and we are continuing to appeal for further information.
“Officers remain committed to understand the full circumstances and are urging anyone with information to come forward to support our investigation.”
Can you help? A dedicated online Major Incident Public Portal has been set up, and information, CCTV, dashcam, doorbell, and phone images and footage can be submitted here, or you can also contact police on 101, quoting log 256 of 29/03/26.
Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
The Manc -
22nd February 2021 
