Merseyside and Cheshire Major Trauma Collaborative

Major trauma is the leading cause of death in people under the age of 45. Over a number of years the level of care in England for these patients has been shown to be in need of improvement; the National Audit Office report estimated that there are 20,000 cases of major trauma per year in England; 5,400 people die of their injuries with many others sustaining permanent disability. Many of these deaths could be prevented with systematic improvements to the delivery of major trauma care.

The NHS Operating Framework for England 2011 – 2012 reiterated a commitment to ensure the implementation of regional trauma networks across England.

In 2011 NHS North West established an Integrated Trauma System Board to manage the regional development and implementation of a North West major trauma system. This board proposed three sub-regional major trauma systems, one of which is for the Cheshire and Merseyside area.

The outcome of the development process is the agreement for a collaborative approach by three trusts: Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust and the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospital Trust, to provide a major trauma service for Merseyside and Cheshire, based at the Aintree site. The new Major Trauma collaborative will be in place by April 2012.

Professor Stephen Singleton, Medical Director, NHS North of England said: “The overriding objective of this new approach is to ensure that more people can survive a major trauma and that the standards and quality of care are consistent across the country. I am confident that the collaborative between these three hospitals trusts, each contributing different clinical strengths and experience, will create an excellent major trauma service which saves lives and improves outcomes for the most seriously injured patients.”