Major Trauma service

Service detail

The Major Trauma service

The Major Trauma service is a regional service provided collaboratively between The Walton Centre and Liverpool University Hospitals (Aintree Hospital), serving a population of approximately 2.3 million. The MTCC (Major Trauma Centre Collaborative) has worked towards robust multi-disciplinary, multi-organisational structures since its inception in 2012 and has been able to demonstrate excellence in the care of major trauma patients through the Trauma Audit and Research Network (TARN) clinical outcomes. 

The Walton Centre admits approximately 300 major trauma admissions per year for specialist cranial and spinal management following traumatic incidents such as road traffic collisions, falls or assaults. A multidisciplinary team (MDT) including neurosurgeons, specialist nurses, advanced practitioners and allied health professionals work together to treat and manage these patients.

The service is subject to external annual review via the Operational Delivery Network (ODN) for major trauma and critical care, and from the Quality Surveillance Team (QST).

Specialist rehabilitation

The Walton Centre provides specialist rehabilitation for patients immediately after being admitted with trauma and throughout their recovery. All patients admitted with trauma are required to have a Rehabilitation Prescription completed, which forms a key part of ‘best practice’. The document itself, which requires input from the whole MDT, identifies a trauma patient’s acute rehabilitation needs and indicates ongoing longer term rehabilitation requirements.

The Walton Centre is also the host of the Cheshire and Merseyside Rehabilitation Network, which operates on a hub and spoke model delivering level 1 rehabilitation based in our hyper acute rehabilitation unit (Lipton Ward) and Complex Rehabilitation Unit. Level 2 rehabilitation is based on the Broadgreen and St Helen’s sites.

Neurotrauma follow up

Since 2013, The Walton Centre runs a combined neurosurgical and neuro-rehabilitation clinic known as the Neurotrauma Clinic. This clinic is run by Miss Catherine McMahon, Consultant Neurosurgeon, and Dr Ganesh Bavikatte, Rehabilitation Consultant. Clinics are also held by the Head Injury Advanced Practitioner. This clinic was initiated to support traumatic brain injury sufferers with longer term post-traumatic symptoms in an outpatient setting. New referrals to the Neurotrauma Clinic are first triaged by the Head Injury Advanced Practitioner via telephone.

Complex spinal fracture clinic

A nurse led spinal fracture clinic runs on weekly basis. This allows follow up for confirmed spinal fractures for up to 12 weeks post injury with surveillance imaging and reviews. The initial appointment is delivered face-to-face and takes a detailed account of:

• Level of injury
• Mechanism
• Clinical examination
• Spinal orthosis review
• Relevant past medical history

Radiological imaging allows for close monitoring of spinal alignment, deformity and any progression. Conservative and surgical plans are formulated and patients may be converted for consideration of cement augmentation or surgical fixation. In most cases conservative measures can then be converted to virtual follow up.

This clinic also allows for further onward referrals to other specialities if deemed appropriate. All of this is discussed with a Complex Spinal Consultant. Any complex cases requiring further discussions will be presented to the spinal MDT.