The inspection team – made up of senior members of the South West London and Surrey Trauma Board and local Clinical Commissioning Groups – said they were ‘very pleased and impressed’ with the Trust’s progress.
Dr James Marsh, Joint Medical Director, said: “When people are brought to our hospitals following a serious trauma – whether that’s a broken hip or head injury – we have to be sure that our teams can give them the absolute best possible care. In many cases of serious injury and trauma, the treatment we give to patients could be the difference between life and death, and we simply cannot afford to get it wrong.
“Every year across England and Wales, 10,000 people die after an injury, and trauma is the leading cause of death among children and young adults of 44 years and under. On top of that, there are many thousands who are left severely disabled for life. I am therefore absolutely delighted to know that the care we are providing to those patients has received such high praise, and I would like to thank the team for the huge number of improvements that have been made within the organisation since the last visit in February.”
Jackie Sullivan, the Chief Operating Officer, said: “This has taken hard work and commitment. For those present during the inspection last week, the fact that the team was working well shone through, and I felt very proud of the way in which this came across to our visitors.”
The team made the following observations regarding specific parts of the way we care for trauma patients:
• They noted excellent commitment to recording data in line with guidance from the Trauma Audit and Research Network (TARN). The team felt that the input of TARN data, the number of staff now trained and the fact that the team were based in A&E was an area of good practice that they would consider suggesting across the network.
• The team were very pleased to see a robust management structure and a clear lead from the General Manager. They also fully supported the plan to have an A&E nurse lead for Trauma and noted that the Trust has a dedicated and enthusiastic clinical lead, with engagement amongst all of our trauma teams.
• The issues and risk log was well received.
Jackie added: “The inspectors also thanked us for all of our hard work and dedication to making sure that trauma services in the Trust are first class.”