Trauma and ED Organisation (NHS)

List some current issues in Emergency Medicine

• Waiting times are far too long (significant number of people waiting 4+ hrs)

• Staff shortages

• Staff burnout and dissatisfaction

• Ambulance waiting times

• No space in hospitals for the volume of patients

• Overloading of other services (eg. General Practice and Social Care) means more patients are presenting straight to the ED

Name a few major changes that have been made to prevent people presenting to the ED in the last few decades.

• Seatbelts, safer cars and road design (eg. speed limits)

• Gun control

• Knife crime units

• New vaccines

Why was there a major shake up in the organisation and management of EDs in the 2010s?

Mortality rates in the UK due to trauma were worse compared to other similar countries.

What major changes were made to trauma organisation in the UK in the 2010s?

• Establishment of major trauma centres

Major trauma centre definition

Specialists hospitals responsible for the care of patients with major trauma across a region. They have all the equipment and specialist staff needed in one department.