Thousands receive life-saving trauma care since creation of new service

Health professionals who care for some of the most seriously injured patients in Cheshire and Merseyside are celebrating the seventh anniversary of their specialist life-saving service this week (13^th June 2019).

Since its creation in 2012, the Cheshire and Merseyside Major Trauma Centre Collaborative has been called upon more than 7,800 times to treat severely injured patients from across the region.

The collaborative is a partnership between Liverpool’s Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, neurological specialists at The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust and clinical staff at other hospitals across the region working in both specialist trusts and Trauma Units.

To mark the anniversary, staff gathered to reflect on the achievements of the last seven years, including saving numerous lives.

Plans were also announced for a new partnership with trauma support service, Day One. In the coming months, the charity will provide enhanced support, including access to counselling, peer support, funding and extensive advice and guidance, to complement the existing support given.

Mrs Sharon Scott, Divisional Medical Director for Surgery & Anaesthesia at Aintree, who led on the development of the major trauma centre collaborative, said: “It’s incredible to see how much the service has evolved over the last few years, in particular with the investments we’ve seen in connecting us to The Walton Centre with a link bridge to rapidly transfer patients and improving access for air ambulances with the construction of a helipad. Time is of the essence for any patient requiring major trauma care, so ensuring they can access our specialist teams as quickly as possible is critically important.

“I’m so proud of the teams who have worked so hard to make this service possible and whose skills and expertise ensure our patients are receiving some of the best outcomes in the country for trauma care. The additional support our patients will soon be receiving from Day One will be invaluable and will really improve their experience and transition once they are discharged from hospital.”

Professor Peter Giannoudis, orthopaedic surgeon who founded Day One at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, said: “We are delighted to be working with Aintree to progress the establishment of Day One at Aintree’s Major Trauma Centre. We have learnt an incredible amount in the four years of Day One at Leeds and look forward to working with patients and their families to limit the impact of major trauma and provide support at what can be a hugely challenging time.”

Over the last seven years there have been significant investments to improve the service, including the construction in 2012 of a £2m link-bridge between the Aintree and Walton hospitals, allowing seamless transfer of patients requiring neurological care.

This was followed in 2017 with the completion of a £1m helipad in front Aintree’s A&E department, supported by the County Air Ambulance Appeal, allowing much quicker transfer for patients arriving by air ambulance, which previously had to land at playing fields off Lower Lane, a short ambulance ride away from the hospital.

The same year saw the £35m Urgent Care and Trauma Centre at Aintree, which houses its major trauma services, officially opened by the Duke of Cambridge, who met clinicians from Aintree, The Walton Centre plus crews from the North West Ambulance Service and the North West Air Ambulance.