It is managed by the Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust.

The site for the facility was a gift from Lord Lilford of Atherton Hall.

[1] The facility itself, which was financed by a legacy from Miss Elizabeth Farnworth and by other subscribers, was completed in 1906.

[1] A ward was allocated for the treatment of military casualties at the start of the First World War.

[3] A new diagnostic and treatment centre was officially opened by Andy Burnham, the Shadow Health Secretary and Member of Parliament for the town, in January 2014.