Construction of the University of Bolton’s new £40m Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS) facility was today completed, marking a significant milestone for the future of healthcare education and training in Greater Manchester.

The building is now practically complete and work is underway on the internal fit-out, ahead of the facility opening in September.

The Institute of Medical Sciences project received £20m from the Levelling Up Fund (LUF) in 2021, making it one of the biggest LUF grants for any skills and employment project in the UK. The University of Bolton also provided £20m, bringing the total cost of the facility’s construction to £40m.

Standing in the grounds of the Royal Bolton Hospital in Farnworth, it will accommodate students studying subjects including physiotherapy, nursing and midwifery.

IMS is set to deliver training to approximately 3,000 learners per year and provide Continuing Professional Development opportunities for existing NHS staff at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust and other local healthcare facilities.

Subject to General Medical Council approval, the five-storey state-of-the-art building will become a medical school and home to student doctors from September 2025.

Construction has been led by contractor Willmott Dixon and generated a total of £13.3m of expenditure within a 20-mile radius since building work began three years ago, more than doubling its initial target of £6m.

This multi-million pound local spend figure has been achieved through Willmott Dixon’s supply chain expenditure and the creation of 28 new jobs, 13 of which were filled by Bolton residents. The facility is expected to deliver at least £150m to the local economy over its lifetime.

The building will contain high-tech facilities, including simulation suites designed to recreate various healthcare delivery scenarios.

Professor George E Holmes DL, the man behind the project and Vice Chancellor of the University of Bolton, Greater Manchester, said:

It is incredibly rewarding for us at the University to witness our flagship facility reach this important milestone of practical completion.

“It is a privilege to be home to one of the nation’s leading clinical skills facilities here in Greater Manchester and this is a key step in our aim to become a national centre of excellence for health.

Mark O’Reilly, Project Director, added:

To see the project come to life over the last few years since construction began has been remarkable. I have been working with the University on the IMS project since we were aiming to achieve planning permission, and it is brilliant to have today reached practical completion.

“Working so closely alongside key stakeholders like Willmott Dixon, the University of Bolton, Bolton NHS FT, Bolton Council, as well as the Levelling Up Fund, it has been great to see the vital work done by so many to deliver a facility like IMS, right here in Bolton.