Northern Ireland Major Trauma Network

What is Major Trauma?

Major trauma is a leading cause of death or severe disability in people under 40 years old.  For individuals experiencing serious multiple injuries it is important to receive the right care at the right place and at the right time to reduce their risk of death or disability.  This means taking the patient directly to a Major Trauma Centre (MTC) or local emergency department where they can receive the urgent specialist care needed.  It is recognised that with the implementation of a Major Trauma Network there is a much better chance of surviving and recovering from injuries as a result of major trauma.

Northern Ireland Major Trauma Network

The NI Major Trauma Network has been established to work collaboratively with HSC Trusts in order to co-ordinate the delivery of trauma services across Northern Ireland including paediatric services.

It is essential that a whole system approach is developed to co-ordinate services that include pre-hospital care and rehabilitation as well as specialty services in the MTC and local Emergency Departments.  The Network will actively engage with stakeholders to gain their support and encourage stakeholders to contribute to the development of the NI Major Trauma Network.

In order for patients to receive the right treatment at the right time, a regional approach to patient flow for seriously injured patients will support the speedy delivery of specialist treatment through direct referral protocols and support reverse referral pathways for rehabilitation needs.

Network Strategic Objectives

1. Establish Network personnel, structures and processes.
2. Patients with serious injury receive timely, skilled, high quality pre-hospital care and safe transfer.
3. Patients with serious injury receive timely, skilled, high quality hospital care including rehabilitation and repatriation.
4. Network staff are highly skilled in trauma recognition and management, supported in doing their work, and enabled to lead and participate in continuous service quality improvement.

Network Stakeholders

Our Stakeholders include those involved in the care of trauma patients from the pre-hospital setting, across acute and specialist services and through to rehabilitation in local and community settings.  The experience of unscheduled care users and their families will be an important element of how we communicate and engage with our stakeholders.  We have already gained benefit from learning from our peers in local Networks and Trauma Networks in other regions:

• Network Local Clinical Leads
• Medical, Nursing & AHP professionals involved in trauma
• 5 Health and Social Care Trusts
• NI Ambulance Service HSC Trust
• Rehabilitation services
• GPs
• Pre-hospital care providers
• HSCB/PHA/DH colleagues
• Education providers
• Service Users, their families and carers
• Local Networks and Trauma Networks

Annual Reports