Responding to a National Audit Office report into major trauma care across England published today - Friday 5 February 2010 - Karim Brohi Professor of Trauma Sciences at Barts and The London Medical School, and Consultant Trauma and Vascular Surgeon at Barts and The London NHS Trust, has made the following statement.
“The National Audit Office report is very welcome and reiterates the continued lack of resource and organisation of trauma care across the country. At the Royal London Hospital we have shown that the systems of care proposed in the report do lead to major improvements in survival in a relatively short period of time. The most critically injured patients are almost half less likely to die if they are managed at the Royal London than the national average.
“Our integrated systems for major trauma care aim to ensure that patients receive optimal injury management at all times - from minutes after injury with emergency services, through to emergency life-saving surgery, specialist intensive care, reconstructive surgery, and rehabilitation. These improvements in outcomes have been achieved in a few years.
“Experts from the Royal London have been advising local and national groups on the development of regional trauma systems, to disseminate the knowledge, techniques and systems we have learned. We will be supporting the institution of the London Trauma System in April as well as the future national process. We hope that the unnecessary death and permanent disability that occurs across the country every day will finally be given the appropriate resource and infrastructure required.”
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