Staff at the Royal Bolton Hospital are already preparing for more waves of coronavirus, according to a top boss.
Andy Ennis, chief operating officer at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, says further outbreaks of the virus are 'inevitable', but work is being done to plan ahead.
It comes as the government begins to relax lockdown measures, allowing more people to travel outside of their homes and meet friends and family, as long as they observe social distancing.
There has been a steady fall in the number of coronavirus-related deaths recorded at the hospital in recent weeks and Mr Ennis says services are currently less busy than they have been for some time, giving staff a chance to work on preparing for the future.
“Whilst we are currently experiencing reduced demand on our services, we continue to look at how we can adapt these services to ensure that we can continue to respond effectively to the inevitable further waves of COVID-19," he said.
“We also need to be able to continue to respond to emergencies and an increased demand for our services in the community.
"Our message remains, that if you have a serious or life threatening medical condition, we are here for you.
"However we must remind the public that they should contact their GP for treatment for minor conditions, not visit the hospital, in order to ensure that we can meet the anticipated continued demands of COVID-19.”
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