Improving major trauma care in England
The proposals to designate Southampton General Hospital as a major trauma centre form part of a national project to define the level of emergency care that should be provided at each hospital in the country.
A major trauma centre provides a method of getting the patient to the most appropriate treatment as quickly as possible. As a major trauma centre, Southampton would have certain specialties and processes on site, provide a specified level of consultant cover and out of hours cover and provide certain services such as scans within a specified time.
The key aim is to get the patient to definitive treatment as fast as possible to help ensure the best possible outcome. Essentially, if a major trauma patient is less than a 45 minute journey from the major trauma centre and does not require immediate resuscitation or stablisation, then they will be brought to the major trauma centre rather than the nearest hospital.