Major Trauma Units

The Major Trauma Network in England can be likened to a 'hub and spoke' system – the 'hub' being the Major Trauma Centres and the 'spokes' being the Major Trauma Units.

The role of the Major Trauma Unit is to support the Major Trauma Centre within this Trauma Network in ensuring that patients who present with major trauma are dealt with in the right place at the right time.

To become a Major Trauma Unit, certain standards have to be met and maintained in line with the national service specification. These standards are monitored annually via a network peer review. Standards are varied and include many Departments and Clinical specialities throughout the Trust as well as Executive support.

The ambulance service are tasked with ensuring those who suffer a major trauma bypass the Major Trauma Units and go straight to the Major Trauma Centres unless they have life threatening condition, such as an unmanageable airway or uncontrollable major haemorrhage. In these cases patient's will be brought into the Major Trauma Unit for immediate assessment and stabilisation prior to an onward transfer to the Major Trauma Centre for definitive care.

Major Trauma Units also have to be prepared to accept patients that arrive by their own means so a 24/7 trauma team is required alongside key services such as consultant presence in under 30minutes, rapid access to a CT scanner and an emergency operating theatre available 24/7. 

There are seven Major Trauma Units within the Cheshire & Mersey major trauma network:

• Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• Noble's Hospital, Isle of Man
• Royal Liverpool University Hospital NHS Trust
• Southport Hospital NHS Trust
• Whiston NHS Foundation Trust
• Wirral University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• Warrington Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Please note that the updated contact telephone number for the Alder Hey Major Trauma phone line in the Emergency Department is: 0151 252 5600