Organising trauma care has been a strong health care agenda worldwide since the 1970's. Worldwide trauma networks have shown a significant reduction in mortality/morbidity and improvement in functional outcome. Trauma Networks have been operating in the UK since 2010 in London, and 2012 in the rest of England (North Wales joined in 2013). South Wales Trauma Network launched on the 14th September 2020.
Our vision is to enhance patient outcomes and experience, across the entire patient pathway from the point of wounding to recovery and includes injury prevention. The network represents a partnership between participating organisations, each responsible for working collaboratively to achieve this common goal and purpose. The trauma network will improve patient outcomes by saving lives and preventing avoidable disability, returning patients to their families, work and education.
The South Wales Trauma Network consists of the following:
The trauma network ensures rapid transfer of patients who are most severely injured from the scene of an incident or other hospitals to the MTC, in order to benefit from timely and efficient specialist care. Care continues closer to home or in the community once specialist care is completed. Care closer to home is generally facilitated through rehabilitation. Indeed, the key to keeping the trauma pathway open is for specialist and local rehabilitation to be optimally organised and resourced, linking into continuing healthcare packages for patients who need them. Benefit for patients is realised across the network, not just in the MTC.
The trauma pathway consists of a number of component parts in the patient’s journey, with the relationship between, and integrity of, component parts being critical to the successful delivery of the network. Each part has equal merit.