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John Radcliffe designated a Major Trauma Centre

02/04/2012
This article is more than eleven years old.

Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital has been designated as a Major Trauma Centre as part of Government plans to consolidate trauma services into networks across the region.

From 2 April, the John Radcliffe Hospital becomes a Major Trauma Centre serving the Thames Valley region and will provide treatment to the most seriously injured and complex patients. Southampton General Hospital has been designated a Major Trauma Centre serving the south of the region.

Both will be supported by and linked to a network of other hospitals providing smaller trauma units across the region. The major centres will provide direct access to specialist teams and state-of-the-art equipment to ensure patients receive immediate treatment, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

When it is not possible to get to a Major Trauma Centre within 45 minutes, or where the patient needs to be stabilised quickly, the patient would be taken to the nearest hospital with a trauma unit for immediate treatment and stabilisation before being transferred on to the Major Trauma Centre. Once discharged from a Major Trauma Centre, local trauma units will provide ongoing treatment and rehabilitation for patients.

This national improvement programme is led by Oxford trauma surgeon Professor Keith Willett, who is the National Clinical Director for Trauma Care. The Oxford Major Trauma Centre will be the specialist hub for the provision of care to major trauma patients from across the Thames Valley, including Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, parts of Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Berkshire and Northamptonshire.

The Trust is investing in staff and equipment over the next six months to support the development of the Major Trauma Centre. 

Clinical lead for major trauma at the OUH, John McMaster, said:  "This investment will benefit the wider population of patients we care for above and beyond trauma patients. This is an exciting opportunity to further develop the Trust's reputation as a provider of specialist care."