Treatment of
around 20,000 people who suffer major trauma each year is set to
improve as the Government announces significant new investment
into trauma and microbiology research.
The Department of Health, the Ministry of Defence, University
Hospitals Birmingham and University of Birmingham are investing
£20 million in a new initiative to share medical lessons learned.
The initiative will bring both military and civilian trauma
surgeons and scientists together to share innovation in medical
research and advanced clinical practice in the battlefield to
benefit all trauma patients in the NHS at an early stage of
injury.
The new National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) for surgical
reconstruction and microbiology will be set up at the Queen
Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, where all injured service personnel
are currently treated after evacuation from the frontline in
Afghanistan.
Research will focus initially on today's most urgent
challenges in trauma including:
identifying effective resuscitation techniques;surgical care
after multiple injuries or amputation; andfighting wound
infections.
For every trauma fatality in England, there are two people who
are left with severe and often permanent injuries. Currently,
variable research into trauma care means advances are not always
shared across the NHS. The new NIHR centre will form a central
point in England for trauma research where knowledge can be
translated into real improvements in care for all NHS patients and
beyond. It will be the first and only research centre of its kind
in the UK to focus both on military and civilian care and treatment.
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said:
“The new NIHR Centre will fund world-leading research to help
people recover better and faster from severe injuries. There have
already been significant developments in advanced emergency
treatment and transportation but more medical research is needed.
“This investment will help to strengthen the response of health
and emergency services to major disasters such as road traffic
accidents and terrorist attacks in the future. It will also help
to make the NHS leaders in the world of trauma care - helping to
improve treatment and care in the NHS and around the world. This
investment also reflects our commitment to health research in the
strongest possible way.”
Defence Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare
and Veterans Andrew Robathan said:
“The medics who work for our Armed Forces are
recognised the world over for pioneering new advances in trauma
care and quite rightly so. Those who have been injured defending
their country deserve the very best standards of care. I am proud
that the MoD is investing £10 million in the new NIHR Centre,
which will allow us to develop new techniques to treat our
soldiers fighting in Afghanistan and allow military surgeons to
share our skills and knowledge with the NHS.”
Professor Dame Sally C. Davies, Director General
of Research and Development at the Department of Health and
(interim) Chief Medical Officer said:
"I am delighted to be establishing the new NIHR Centre
for Surgical Reconstruction and Microbiology, in collaboration
with our partners in the Ministry of Defence and in Birmingham,
which will be unique in this country.
“Translational research efforts are needed to target the early
phase of injury in order to develop novel therapies and
interventions for pre-hospital and early in-hospital trauma care.
The cross-learning fostered between the military and civilian
health care settings will improve treatment options and care for
all patients".
T he
Surgeon General
, Surgeon Vice Admiral
Philip Raffaelli said:
“This is a hugely important initiative building on the strong
partnership between the MoD and DH. The new centre will play a key
role in building scientific evidence from injuries sustained in
both military and civilian environments. All our patients will
benefit now and in the future as new treatments are developed and
shared across the NHS and the military.”
Julie Moore, Chief Executive, University Hospitals
Birmingham NHS Foundation
Trust:
"We are delighted to become the UK's only NIHR
Centre for Surgical Reconstruction and Microbiology. It is
recognition of the work undertaken by the Trust and our partners
over a number of years. It will provide us with the opportunity to
build academic knowledge around pioneering clinical innovations,
often performed for the first time to save lives and limbs. It
will also allow us to use and develop basic science techniques to
then critically examine and translate into clinical practice for
the benefits of patients.”
Giving the centre the best possible clinical direction from the
start will be its interim chair Professor Sir Keith Porter, who is
the UK’s only Professor of Clinical Traumatology and has
developing world-class treatment for injured military servicemen
and women for the past 10 years.
Many more people survive injuries, when not so long ago they
would have died due to the rapid loss of blood and severe trauma.
Overcoming severe limb, head, face, burn injuries and infections
can take years to treat requiring lifelong rehabilitation.
The nature of military injuries are often very complex and can in
some cases require years of after care and rehabilitation.
The funding will offer researchers and medical students at the
University unprecedented opportunities to work and learn with the
very best in their field.
Notes to Editors
The £20m funding is broken down as follows:£5m from the
Department of Health over 5 years£10m from the Ministry of Defence
over 10 years£5m from The University Hospitals Birmingham and
University of Birmingham over 5 years For more information or
copies of patient case studies, please contact the Department of
Health press office on 020 7210 5221.Professor Sir Keith Porter is
the UK’s only Professor of Clinical Traumatology, has been at the
forefront of developing world-class treatment for injured military
servicemen and women over the past 10 years. A consultant at Queen
Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) he was most recently knighted
in the New Year’s Honours List (2011) for his services to the
Armed Forces.
Contacts:
Department of Health
Phone: 020 7210 5221
NDS.DH@coi.gsi.gov.uk