TEN

(Trauma East News)

Check out what we've been up to

 

Welcome to our newsletter!

 

You are among the first to hear the most important news and updates happening across the East of England Trauma Network.

 

Newsletters will be issued every two months.

(Volume 2 / Issue 5)

 

East of England Adult Critical Care Transfer Service

 

Written by: Dr Alistair Steel and Dr Anne Booth 

Co-leads, EoE Adult Critical Care Transfer Service

On December 1st 2021, the East of England Adult Critical Care Transfer Service became live. The service is funded by Specialised Commissioning, hosted by Cambridge University Hospitals and supported by the Critical Care Network, and has been launched with a phased approach. Phase I has been stood up at pace to provide coverage for anticipated winter pressures across the region. This model consists of two shifts – an 08:00-20:00 shift and 12:00–22:00 shift, with an overlap to coincide with peak transfer times.

 

Each team consists of an experienced Transfer Practitioner (Band 6 Critical Care Nurse / ODP), a Transfer Technician (St Johns Ambulance, Band 4) and an experienced Transfer Doctor (Consultant Anaesthetist / Intensivist). Clinicians from around the region make up the team, with the aim of delivering a service run by the region, for the region. A dedicated operating base has been established just north of Cambridge, giving the team equitable access to hospitals throughout the region – this location was the “centre of gravity” for the region’s referrals. Based on 2019 NHS data, the service is expecting approximately 2000 critical care interhospital transfers each year, of which one quarter are transferred out of region, predominantly into London.

 

The service aims to support the transfer of _any_ patient with critical care needs – this includes those with time-critical injuries or illnesses. This will be a real challenge for patients in Emergency Departments and we are keen to work with EDs around the region to find ways of making sure we provide a timely service.

One way we hope to achieve this is by accepting early likely candidate referrals from experienced ED clinicians, while awaiting formal acceptance using existing referral pathways. We will work with the Trauma Network’s Network Coordination Service to support timely transfer services for major trauma patients.

 

With Phase I now underway, we couldn’t have achieved this without the support of a very large number of people working at speed to set the service up. Phase II is about ensuring we our substantively employed teams are available for all planned shifts and that they are operating from a permanent base designed to meet the needs of the service. Also in Phase II we expect to start broadening the work that we do – not only will we support transfer training, for example by welcoming observer and trainee placements, but we will also support ongoing “Transfer Training” programmes provided by hospitals for their own intrahospital and occasional interhospital transfers.

 

Phase III, which we expect will be later in 2022, will see three teams providing an around-the-clock, 24/7 service to the region.

 

Our teams operate form 8:00 to 22:00 every day. We are here to support any patient aged>16 with critical care needs who requires a transfer. To request a transfer team, call 0333 016 9859 or visit our website

www.transfer-eastofengland.nhs.uk.

Winner of 'The Masked Hero' award

 

We in the Trauma Network would like to congratulate Amir Reyahi, Trauma Lead and Emergency Department Consultant at Luton & Dunstable Hospital on winning ‘The Masked Hero’ award from the Luton & Bedfordshire Community Awards this year.

 

Amir’s nomination read:

“Amir is an Emergency Department Consultant. He is hugely experienced in all aspects of emergency care and works so hard. But he goes that extra step, being from Luton himself he gives back to the community. Concerned by gang crime and knife crime Amir has led on delivering training around knife crime and consequences to young offenders on probation and to staff working within the sector. Hearing from an emergency doctor with first-hand experience must be the most poignant message to these young people who are vulnerable to the risks and exposure of gang crime”

 

You can find a photo and a short video of Amir at the ceremony here and here.

 

Congratulations and thank you from all of us in the Trauma Network!

Education Update – Ward Nursing Focus

 

 

The 2021 update of trauma quality indicators against which Trauma Units are required to submit evidence includes the following measure:

 

For wards that care for trauma patients, for example trauma and orthopaedics, medicine, there should be a nurse/AHP available 24/7 who has successfully attained or is working towards the adult competency & educational standard of level 1 as described in the National Major Trauma Nursing Group guidance.

 

The Adult Ward sub-group of the National Major Trauma Nursing Group (NMTNG) have developed a competency booklet for nurses/AHPs caring for adult trauma patients in the ward environment, which has been available since 2018.  It is now essential that matrons, ward managers and educators take action to ensure they are able to meet the measure as set out above. 

 

To assist in this, the Network has set out a 3 step process to guide implementation of the competencies.  This is, in brief:

  1. Identify the wards where trauma patients are admitted.
  2. Identify which competency themes are appropriate for that ward.
  3. Keep a local log and/or evidence of training and competency completion at ward level.

 

A full guidance document, along with other supporting materials, can be found here.

 

For support in implementing the ward competencies, please contact Sian Cross, the Network Education Lead.

 

The World Health Organisation Rehabilitation 2030 Initiative

 

Globally, one in three people are living with a health condition that benefits from rehabilitation. These needs are spread across the lifespan, from children with congenital and intellectual impairment, to young adults with physical limitation resulting from unintentional and war-related injuries, to older people experiencing chronic disease or difficulties associated with ageing. These rehabilitation needs will only grow in the coming years as populations continue to age, and the number of people living with chronic disease continues to increase throughout the world.

 

Many countries are not equipped to respond to existing rehabilitation needs, let alone the forecasted increase that is arising from health and demographic trends. Rehabilitation is often not prioritised in countries and continues to be under-resourced. As a result, countless individuals do not have access to rehabilitation services, leading to an exacerbation of their condition, further complications and lifelong consequences. In some low- and middle-income countries, more than 50% of people do not receive the rehabilitation services they require.

 

In 2017, in recognition of the growing global rehabilitation needs, under-developed rehabilitation services and significant potential for unmet rehabilitation needs to increase in future, the WHO, Member States, development partners and civil society came together to launch the Rehabilitation 2030 initiative.

  

 

 

 

 

Key Priorities:

1. Creating strong leadership and political support for rehabilitation at sub-national, national and global levels.

2. Strengthening rehabilitation planning and implementation at national and sub-national levels, including within emergency preparedness and response.

3. Improving integration of rehabilitation into the health sector and strengthening intersectoral links to effectively and efficiently meet population needs.

4. Incorporating rehabilitation in Universal Health Coverage.

5. Building comprehensive rehabilitation service delivery models to progressively achieve equitable access to quality services, including assistive products, for all the population, including those in rural and remote areas.

6. Developing a strong multidisciplinary rehabilitation workforce that is suitable for country context, and promoting rehabilitation concepts across all health workforce education.

7. Expanding financing for rehabilitation through appropriate mechanisms.

8. Collecting information relevant to rehabilitation to enhance health information systems including system level rehabilitation data and information on functioning utilizing the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF).

9. Building research capacity and expanding the availability of robust evidence for rehabilitation.

10. Establishing and strengthening networks and partnerships in rehabilitation, particularly between low-, middle- and high-income countries.

 

For further information please visit: https://www.who.int/initiatives/rehabilitation-2030

 

A Rehabilitation Competency Framework has also been developed for further information on this please visit: 

https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240008281 

'Your care with us' - new version

 

Have a look at the new, updated version of the 'Your care with us' leaflet that is now available on our website. If your organisation uses this leaflet, please make sure you download the recent version.

 

An updated Paediatric version of the leaflet is also on its way. Don't forget to check our website later for updates.

 
See 'Your care with us' leaflet

End of peer reviews Network Event

 

With the majority of our Trauma Unit peer reviews now complete, keep an eye out for a Network event in 2022 to celebrate good practice and to share our learning.

 

How to get involved?

 

From injury prevention to rehabilitation, trauma care covers all interests. Get involved with your local Trauma Committee or send us in your ideas. We will be developing more ways for you to get involved with our Specialist Advisory Groups and with your patients through Trauma East Voices.

 
Contact us >>
eoetraumanetwork.nhs.uk