Bolton GP Federation

Bolton GP Federation Working with Bolton people to improve access to healthcare, support the workforce and tackle health inequalities.

Bolton GP Federation is a collective vehicle where Bolton's GP practices come together to deliver primary care, providing a place for collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and coordination. The Federation is a voice of the priorities, needs, and local intelligence of primary care into the wider healthcare system. We are rated as Good by the Care Quality Commission and we are proud of the services that we run, which include Primary Care Networks, Extended Primary Care, an Experienced Nurse Network and the Covid Vaccination Programme.

Wishing everyone a very Happy Easter - hope you all have a great bank holiday weekend!
05/04/2026

Wishing everyone a very Happy Easter - hope you all have a great bank holiday weekend!

Missed your school vaccines? IntraHealth can help!IntraHealth is hosting four vaccine clinics for Year 9 and Year 10 stu...
03/04/2026

Missed your school vaccines? IntraHealth can help!

IntraHealth is hosting four vaccine clinics for Year 9 and Year 10 students who missed their vaccines at school.

💉 Vaccines being offered: Td/IPV (Tetanus, Diphtheria & Polio), MenACWY

📍 Locations & Dates:

Tuesday 7th April - Farnworth Family Hub BL4 7AP (9:30 -2:30)

Wednesday 8th April 2026 - Capitol House, BL1 1LY0 (9:30-2:30)

Thursday 9th April - Bright Meadows BL2 5DD (9:30-2:30)

Tuesday 14th April - Oxford Grove BL1 3BH (12:00-3:30)

Wednesday 15th April 2026 - Capitol House, BL1 1LY (09:30-2:30)

Thursday 16th April - Harvey Children's Centre BL3 6HU (9:30 - 2:30)

📞 To book an appointment: Call 0333 358 3397 and press option 2

This Week at Bolton Health Hive 🩵Appointments available for:- Nurse appointments (pre-booked - bookable via your GP prac...
30/03/2026

This Week at Bolton Health Hive 🩵
Appointments available for:
- Nurse appointments (pre-booked - bookable via your GP practice - 10am – 4pm)
- Smoking cessation advice (10am - 4pm) - Wednesday only
- Ear suctioning clinics (9:30am - 4:30pm) - Thursdays only
Please note: Services and clinic times may vary. For our full, up-to-date schedule, visit 👉 www.boltongpfed.co.uk/communityhealth
📍 Bolton Health Hive, Bolton Primary Care Hub, Chorley Street, BL1 4AL
📞 Need more information?
Call the Health Hive on 01204 463 518

Today is Social Prescribing Link Worker Day! To celebrate the incredible work our SPLWs do across Bolton, connecting peo...
26/03/2026

Today is Social Prescribing Link Worker Day!

To celebrate the incredible work our SPLWs do across Bolton, connecting people with support in their community and improving wellbeing beyond medical care, we are sharing some of their success stories and why they enjoy their roles.

Introducing Julie Wright (Westhoughton PCN)

What’s your favourite thing about working in your PCN?
• Our Clinical Director is very supportive of Social Prescribing, she is an advocate for us and gives us autonomy to shape the Social Prescribing service in Westhoughton/Blackrod which is greatly appreciated. I feel we are all very dedicated and passionate, partly due to having this amazing support.

Can you share a success story?
• One of my clients was referred to me in 2020, he had long covid, which affected one side of his body and was unable to perform his job as a skilled operative so he had been made redundant. He had got in to debt, was caring for his wife and adult son and his mental health was poor, he said he felt “on the scrap heap”. I worked with him to sort out his benefits and debts, he attended counselling, and some courses that I was running to improve his confidence.

I then brought him to a Community Garden in 2023 which he loved and he now project manages the garden. He attends the garden every day, has attended courses with me in health and safety, he manages other volunteers, he upskills items, he helps me run events. Due to his increased confidence, he now is an active member of the Royal British Legion, he helps run a local Manbassadors group and supports other people who visit the garden when their mental health is low. He is a true inspiration, and I am immensely proud of him. I still see him regularly and we come up with ideas for the garden, he always tells people that “Social Prescribing and the garden saved his life".

Today is Social Prescribing Link Worker Day! To celebrate the incredible work our SPLWs do across Bolton, connecting peo...
26/03/2026

Today is Social Prescribing Link Worker Day!

To celebrate the incredible work our SPLWs do across Bolton, connecting people with support in their community and improving wellbeing beyond medical care, we are sharing some of their success stories and why they enjoy their roles.

Introducing Andrea Hollman (Halliwell PCN)

• What inspired you to become a SPLW?
Having worked in the NHS for over 20 years, I’ve seen that many of the challenges people face with their health are not always medical. Issues like loneliness, isolation, financial worries, and caring responsibilities can have a big impact on someone’s well-being.
In my previous role as the Carer and Mental Health Lead, I supported people who were often struggling to find the right help or didn’t know where to go for support. I saw how confusing the system can be, especially for carers and those experiencing mental health difficulties. Many people simply needed someone to listen and guide them to the right support.

• Before starting, what did you know about social prescribing?
I knew it linked people to community support rather than clinical care. Since starting, I’ve seen how powerful it can be in helping people navigate challenges and improve wellbeing.

Today is Social Prescribing Link Worker Day! To celebrate the incredible work our SPLWs do across Bolton, connecting peo...
26/03/2026

Today is Social Prescribing Link Worker Day!

To celebrate the incredible work our SPLWs do across Bolton, connecting people with support in their community and improving wellbeing beyond medical care, we are sharing some of their success stories and why they enjoy their roles.

Introducing Alison Lowe (Westhoughton PCN)

• What inspired you to get involved?
I was inspired by the idea that health is about much more than medical treatment. Many people face challenges such as isolation, stress, or financial pressures, and these can have a huge impact on their wellbeing. Social prescribing allows me to work closely with people, understand their individual circumstances, and help them access meaningful support in their community. Being able to make a real difference in someone’s daily life is what motivated me to pursue this role.

• Can you share a memorable moment from your work?
We ran a slow cooker class, after several conversations and gentle encouragement, they developed some wonderful friendships whilst learning some new skills, becoming more confident. Seeing their progress and hearing how much happier and connected they felt was incredibly rewarding. Moments like this show how small steps can lead to meaningful change.

REMINDER - There is still time to sign up for the 4wk nutrition course, starting this week on Thursday 19 March.Do you s...
17/03/2026

REMINDER - There is still time to sign up for the 4wk nutrition course, starting this week on Thursday 19 March.

Do you struggle knowing which foods you should or shouldn't be eating? Would you like more support in making these decisions?

Join Alison and Julie, our Social Prescribers, for a friendly and supportive 4-week programme designed to make healthy eating realistic, affordable, and easy to understand.

Learn what a healthy balanced diet looks like; gain confidence reading food labels and making shopping decisions. Discover practical ways to plan meals, cook with ease and create simple family meals that everyone will enjoy. Full details below...

* 19th March (11am to 12:30pm)
* 26th March (11am to 12:30pm)
* 2nd April (11am to 12:30pm)
* 9th April (11am to 12:30pm)

To book your place ring 07519328571, or email alison.lowe13@nhs.net

Here are the times and availability at this week's Health Hive...
16/03/2026

Here are the times and availability at this week's Health Hive...

Taking small steps towards a healthier you! Do you struggle knowing which foods you should or shouldn't be eating? Wou...
10/03/2026

Taking small steps towards a healthier you!

Do you struggle knowing which foods you should or shouldn't be eating? Would you like more support in making these decisions?

We are running a free 4wk nutrition course starting on 19 March. Join Alison and Julie, our Social Prescribers, for a friendly and supportive 4-week programme designed to make healthy eating realistic, affordable, and easy to understand.

Learn what a healthy balanced diet looks like; gain confidence reading food labels and making shopping decisions. Discover practical ways to plan meals, cook with ease and create simple family meals that everyone will enjoy. Full details below...

* 19th March (11am to 12:30pm)
* 26th March (11am to 12:30pm)
* 2nd April (11am to 12:30pm)
* 9th April (11am to 12:30pm)

To book your place ring 07519328571, or email alison.lowe13@nhs.net

On International Women’s Day today, we are celebrating all the women who work across the Bolton GP Federation. In the s...
08/03/2026

On International Women’s Day today, we are celebrating all the women who work across the Bolton GP Federation. In the spirit of this year’s theme ‘creating space for other women to progress, lead, and thrive within our system’, our Chief Operating Officer Kristy Barlow has added the following…

“I have worked in the NHS for over 20 years, building my career from the ground up across areas like intermediate care, out-of-hours services, and primary care. Each step of my journey has clarified the kind of leader I aspire to be.

I began in clinical coding and progressed through roles as Assistant Manager and Practice Manager, before moving into service management at scale within the Federation. Today I am proud to serve as Chief Operating Officer of the Federation, alongside my role as Operations Lead and Board Director for Greater Manchester Primary Care CIC.

Recently stepping into the COO role has been a defining moment. It represents not only career progression at pace, but personal growth and the confidence to step into leadership spaces where women are still underrepresented.

For me, leadership is about creating opportunity, system collaboration, and ensuring our services work for the communities we serve. My journey reflects what is possible when you remain open to learning, say yes to opportunities, and support others to succeed.

On International Women’s Day I celebrate not only on how far I’ve come, but on the importance of creating space for other women to progress, lead, and thrive within our system.”

Address

Primary Care Hub, Chorley Street
Bolton
BL14AL

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+441204546124

Website

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Our Story

The fundamental idea behind Federating is that new challenges are best tackled and managed together Primary care is central to the health and wellbeing of patients and their carer’s and the wider community. We already see in this current climate and times and its importance will grow as more people with complex health needs receive care in the community. To meet these needs, GP’s have to reshape and transform their services, achieving economies of scale while recognising that patients prefer to deal with small, local practices. Bolton GPs want to offer a greater range of services, continuity of care, longer consultations and longer opening hours, however to create the sustainable operating models that will facilitate clinical excellence and good person-centred care , a collective approach to developing a borough wide federation has been a crucial step forward. The Bolton Federation will aim to: *Develop robust partnerships and collective roll out of programmes with the statutory, Business, Third and community sector. *Strengthening the capacity to develop new services out of hospital *To form an entity that can tender for services offered by the CCG, the Local Authority and other commissioners *To make efficiency savings/economies of scale, for example in back office functions or the procurement of practice services *To improve local service integration across practices and other providers *To enhance the capacity of practices to compete with external private sector companies *To strengthen clinical governance and improve the quality and safety of services *To develop training and education capacity In conclusion, with the above aims and aspirations a Bolton GP Federation has been set up.