572 more lives saved by the East Midlands Major Trauma Centre
The NHS in England has saved an additional 1,600 patients with severe injuries since major trauma centres (MTC) were established in 2012, including 572 patients at the East Midlands MTC in Nottingham.
Major traumas centres, including the East Midlands MTC based at Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham, care for patients who have suffered the most severe and complicated injuries, many life-threatening.
The East Midlands MTC is the busiest in the country, treating 9,627 patients since it opened in 2012, and has the strongest clinical outcomes nationally.
The findings from the independent report, which features in the latest issue of EClinicalMedicine published by The Lancet, has been compiled by the Trauma Audit and Research Network (TARN). It endorses the shake-up of NHS trauma care in 2012 with seriously-injured patients sent direct to newly-designated major trauma centres, bypassing smaller, local hospitals that offered less specialist care.
Adam Brooks, Clinical Director for the East Midlands MTC at QMC, said: “The data speaks for itself and shows that centralising expertise in specialist Major Trauma Centres is savings hundreds of lives every year. We are fortunate to have many of the country’s leading clinical experts working at our hospitals in Nottingham, which contributes to the city having the strongest clinical outcomes in the country for major trauma.
"Major Trauma Centres deal with the victims of stabbings and shootings as well as car and motorbike accidents and falls. All major cities have all seen significant increase in knife crime and trauma centres such as Nottingham are saving many more of these victims than ever before thanks to our expertise and quicker treatment. We are constantly seeking to improve the major trauma pathway for our patients with a greater focus on recovery and rehabilitation of major trauma patients so that we can get more patients back to work and living as normal a life as possible, as quickly as possible, after their accidents.”
Stephen Macnish, aged 51, originally from Greenock in Scotland, is currently being treated at QMC’s MTC, and recovering from a road accident. He suffered severe crush injuries after colliding with a 4x4 and was trapped under the vehicle for an hour.
Stephen said: “I have received fantastic care from the team at QMC’s Major Trauma Centre and they have actually saved my life. Since being on the unit I have had three operations and spent over four hours in surgery. My injuries were so severe; I broke 23 out of my 24 ribs and suffered a huge internal bleed, which meant I was put into an induced coma for a week. I cannot thank the staff here enough. I am so thankful for the NHS and specialist Major Trauma Centre’s like the one in Nottingham.”
The NHS reorganisation created 27 designated Major Trauma Centres, with the London network launched in April 2010 and networks across the rest of the country operating since April 2012.