A new collaboration, Greater Manchester Academic Centre for Acute Tissue Injury and Trauma (GM-CAT), aims to deliver improvements in treatment and care for emergency and trauma patients.
The alliance is working on a more focused and coordinated approach to emergency and trauma research, as well as education and training for healthcare professionals.
It is led by Salford Royal consultant Professor Paul Dark, who is also The University of Manchester’s Professor of Critical Care Medicine and National Institute for Health Research National Specialty Lead in Critical Care.
Every year more than 1,000 major trauma patients are treated across Greater Manchester, most injured in falls but others affected by road accidents, assaults and other incidents. Salford Royal is Greater Manchester’s Major Trauma Centre and the vast majority of injured patients are brought here for treatment. Some patients suffering serious chest, abdomen or blood vessel trauma are cared for at Central Manchester and plastic surgery care is carried out at the University Hospital of South Manchester.
Greater Manchester is one of the busiest areas for trauma in Europe and already has a good record for improving survival rates and reducing disabilities, thanks to high quality services underpinned by some world-leading research and education. It is also the home of the Trauma Audit and Research Network (TARN), which collates confidential information from every hospital in England and Wales to help measure and develop effective care systems for the NHS.
Prof Dark (pictured) said: “We want to establish Greater Manchester as one of the UK’s leading academic centres for acute tissue injury and trauma, having global impact and delivering major benefits for patients.
“Although we have improved survival rates over the last decade, we know there is more we can do, including research across the whole chain of survival from incident through hospital care to the most effective methods for rehabilitation.”
Along with Academic Director, Prof Dark, the GM-CAT Executive Management Team includes:
- Prof Rick Body, Consultant in Emergency Medicine at Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and NIHR Deputy National Research Lead in Injuries and Emergencies
- Mr Jason Wong, Consultant Plastic Surgeon, University Hospitals of South Manchester and Senior Lecturer at The University of Manchester
- Dr Martin Smith, Clinical Director of Greater Manchester (Adult) Major Trauma Network and Consultant Emergency Physician, Salford Royal
- Professor Philip Turner, MAHSC Clinical Domain Lead (Inflammation and Repair), Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Stepping Hill Hospital
- Ms Naomi Davis, Consultant in Paediatric Orthopaedics, Central Manchester, Member NHS England Major Trauma CRG
GM-CAT is being supported by the MAHSC Inflammation and Repair Domain.