East: Major Trauma Centre

Heart's being told we should see better survival rates in future for people in Suffolk and Norfolk who are seriously injured

Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) will become the regional Major Trauma Centre offering  trauma care, as part of the phased implementation of the new East of England Trauma Network.

Over the next few months, the East of England Trauma Network will gradually introduce an integrated trauma system. It will care for those who sustain major traumatic injuries, for example following road traffic collisions.

The multi-disciplinary team at the Major Trauma Centre at CUH will work together with a network ofemergency departments, acute and specialist hospitals, the ambulance service and others to provide dedicated trauma care capabilities around the region. 

Evidence, supported by the NHS, suggests that an inclusive and systematic approach to providing trauma care will improve survival rates and overall quality of care. The integrated trauma system ensures that everyone has the same access to highly specialist services, in a timely manner, when they most need it.

It means that patients from across the region will be treated at Addenbrooke's in Cambridgeshire to get specialist treatment, rather than being taken to their local hospital first. 

It is intended that the East of England Trauma Network will be fully rolled out by the end of August, completed in stages to make sure that it is successfully introduced.

Basil Matta, Director of the Emergency and Perioperative Care Division at Cambridge University Hospitals, said:

"With the establishment of the Major Trauma Centre here at Cambridge University Hospitals, our expert team will be able to successfully treat severely injured patients from right across the region, greatly improving their chances of survival and the overall quality of their care.
Through close partnership and collaborative working with other NHS organisations across the network, learning and expertise will be shared to ensure patients receive the highest possible standards of major trauma care.  

Our Emergency Department at Addenbrooke's will continue to provide the usual A&E service to everybody who needs it."