Planning trauma care services in the UK

In response to a 2011 analysis by the Centre for Workforce Intelligence on regional trauma networks,1 the Royal College of Surgeons of England began compiling a report, to be published in spring 2013, that illustrates the need for, and defines the shape of, specific training paths in trauma surgery. In 2006, a BMJ editorial, published in the wake of the 2005 terror attacks in London, highlighted deficiencies in the delivery of trauma care and the training of general trauma surgeons in the United Kingdom.2 Six years on, healthcare policy has changed greatly, and trauma infrastructure is rapidly evolving. However, there is still an urgent need for the development of training routes for specialist trauma surgeons.

In 2010, the UK’s first trauma system was set up in London. It was built around four trauma networks, comprising a major trauma centre and several associated units, which were governed by a system of triage and bypass protocols. The aim was to treat “the right patient, at the right place, at …