This in from the Isle of Wight NHS Trust in their own words. We’ve also embedded the details of the NHS South of England major trauma system at the bottom – Ed.
The new Isle of Wight NHS Trust has welcomed the approval of planning permission for a helipad at St. Mary’s Hospital, Newport. This will enable patients with life threatening injuries to be flown from the Trauma Unit at St. Mary’s to the Trauma Centre at University Hospital Southampton.
Now part of Wessex major trauma network
St. Mary’s Hospital is now part of the Wessex major trauma network and the Emergency Department at the hospital is one of seven designated trauma units which will stabilise some patients prior to rapid transfer to a major trauma centre, or treat less serious injuries such as fractures and minor head injuries. The major trauma centre in the Wessex network is University Hospital Southampton Foundation Trust.
It means people who have suffered life-threatening injuries such as those associated with road traffic collisions, severe assaults, gun and knife wounds and serious falls are more likely to survive and their risk of serious disability will be reduced.
The Wessex major trauma network has a significant amount of military doctors and nurses in the system, which has enabled key lessons learnt from damage control surgery, resuscitation and rehabilitation to be shared and adopted.
Ambulance transfer to Seaclose Park no longer needed
Isle of Wight NHS Trust Medical Director Dr Mark Pugh says: “This will mean faster and better treatment for patients and is welcome news for the Island’s health service. The Helipad will enable us to fly patients from St. Mary’s instead of the current arrangement where a transfer by ambulance to Seaclose, Newport is required before the patient can be airlifted off the Island.
“This will most commonly be used for patients who are brought to St. Mary’s to be stabilised before being airlifted. We already fly trauma patients to Southampton so the addition of the Helipad at St. Mary’s will make the transfer easier for patients and staff.”
Major Trauma Networks
Evidence shows that major trauma centres can lead to 20% more people being saved each year. It is estimated that between 400 and 600 lives could be saved each year across England from the NHS using Major Trauma Networks. Currently around 4,000 people each year suffer a major trauma in the South, with the majority of these injuries being caused by road traffic collisions.
Southampton University Hospital is one of only two places in the south of England to offer full onsite major trauma care provision for adults and children. Access to the major trauma centre increased with the opening of a helipad in November 2011. The helipad provides faster access to care for major trauma patients, cutting up to 30 minutes from the time it takes to transfer them by air ambulance to hospital. It is one of the few helipads in the UK that can receive critically ill patients 24 hours a day.
Other Trauma units in the network
Other Trauma units in the Wessex major trauma network are:
- Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital
- Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth Hospitals Trust
- Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust
- St Richard’s Hospital, Chichester
Some heart attack patients will continue to be flown to Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth for treatment.
Details of NHS South of England major trauma system
