News Release
For immediate use
Tuesday 10 January 2012
NUH12PR05
NUH named region’s major trauma centre
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) has been designated the region’s
lead trauma centre, it has been announced today.
As the major trauma centre, Queen’s Medical Centre will lead the newly-established
trauma network which has been set up across in the East Midlands, helping to improve
patient care and save more lives.
This means patients will now get 24/7 access to specialist teams of clinicians, intensive
care and brain surgery.
The major trauma centre will form the hub of a new trauma care system for the whole
region which will treat people with very serious, multiple injuries like those you would
associate with car accidents, serious gun and knife wounds or falling off a horse. It will
be supported by a number of trauma units which are being set up at other hospitals
around the region that will stabilise patients who need to be transferred on to the major
trauma centre or look after less seriously injured patients.
Adam Brooks, Consultant Surgeon and Clinical Lead for Trauma at NUH, said: “Around
20,000 people suffer major trauma each year in England and Wales. NUH’s trauma
centre will become the focus for improving the way many of those patients are treated.
“Nottingham’s trauma and emergency care services already have a strong reputation
nationally. We are now provided with an opportunity to build on this and develop a
leading edge major trauma service providing excellent care to patients who suffer
serious injury and give them the very best chances of survival and recovery.
“We treat around 300 major trauma patients a year and by 2015 expect this number to
grow threefold to 900 when we reach full capacity as a regional trauma centre. We will
take on this new responsibility on a phased basis from April 2012.”
Peter Homa, Chief Executive, NUH, said: “Becoming the major trauma centre for the
East Midlands is a major improvement for patients.
“NUH is uniquely positioned to take on responsibility to provide this vital service for the
region as part of this newly-established regional trauma network. We provide some of
the country’s leading specialists and have the range of specialist services, such as
neurosurgery, required to deliver an excellent major trauma service to patients with
serious multiple injuries. This means that the public from across the East Midlands will
have rapid access to excellent specialist expertise and facilities that will help to improve
patient care and save more lives.”
Evidence shows that creating a hub and spoke network of a major trauma centre and
trauma units supported by the ambulance service can lead to approximately 20% more
people with severe injuries being saved every year. Currently around 660 people a year
suffer a major trauma injury in the East Midlands.
The East Midlands Ambulance Service is also training up its crews to better identify
major trauma patients and take them straight to the regional centre or the nearest
trauma unit rather than the local emergency department.
Improving major trauma care was identified as a priority by the East Midlands health
community in its strategic plan published in 2008. Work to design the new major trauma
system of care for the region has been led by local clinicians and the chief executives of
all the local primary care trusts, who are responsible for comissioning for health
services. Patients and the public were also given a chance to have their say on how
services could be improved through a programme of engagement events which took
place around the region in 2010.
Chris Boyce, regional programme director for emergency and urgent care, said:
“Improving major trauma services has been a priority for the local health community and
a lot of work has been going on behind the scenes to design the right model of care for
our patients. I’m delighted that we have reached this critical stage in the programme
where we can announce the location of the regional centre for major trauma. Setting
this centre up will improve access to the best specialist care for patients regardless of
where in the East Midlands they are injured.”
ENDS
Issued by Steve Thorne, Communications Manager, 0115 9709975 or email
steve.thorne@nuh.nhs.uk.
NOTES FOR NEWSDESKS
About major trauma
o Major trauma is the fourth leading cause of death in western countries and
the leading cause of death in the first four decades of life. The incidence is
expected to increase over the next 20 years
o By 2020 trauma will be the second most common cause of ‘life years lost’
through premature death and disability in the UK
o Trauma is a major cause of debilitating long term injury. For every fatality
there are likely to be two patients who survive but with long term health and
social care needs
o The number of patients affected is relatively small and this in itself poses
challenges in respect of service design.
Formed in 2006, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust is one of the biggest and
busiest acute hospitals in England, employing 13,000 staff. We provide services to over
2.5 million residents of Nottingham and its surrounding communities and specialist
services to a further 3-4 million people from neighbouring counties.
The Trust has three main sites (campuses):

Queen’s Medical Centre Campus (QMC) – our emergency care site (where our
Emergency Department is located)

Nottingham City Hospital Campus – where our Cancer Centre, Heart Centre and
Stroke services are based, and where we focus on planned care and the care of
patients with long-term conditions

Ropewalk House – where we provide a range of outpatient services, including
hearing services
We have national and international reputations for many of our specialist services,
including Stroke, Renal, Spinal, Breast, Neurosciences, Cancer Services and Trauma.
QMC is home to the Nottingham Children’s Hospital.
The Trust has an annual income of circa £720million, circa 1,700 beds (70-80 wards).
We are at the forefront of many research programmes and new surgical procedures.
Nottingham has Biomedical Research Units in Hearing and Digestive Diseases.
As a teaching trust we have a strong relationship with the University of Nottingham and
other universities across the East Midlands, including Loughborough University. We
play an important role in the education and training of doctors, nurses and other
healthcare professionals.