Website enables NHS trauma care comparisons

Hospitals can compare their performances in trauma care against other trusts on a new website developed by the Trauma Audit and Research Network (TARN).

TARN was founded by the University of Manchester and Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, and helps hospitals to collect and evaluate data on their trauma care (treatment of serious injuries such as head injuries, chest injuries and broken limbs) and how they rate in comparison with other trusts.

Executive director Maralyn Woodford told E-Health Insider: “TARN has been analysing data for over 15 years and we decided it was about time to get more openness and help to steer trust towards achieving good trauma care performance measures. We currently work with 50% of trusts in analysing trauma care data, and have consulted them all for agreement to publish this online.

“There is a great deal of variability between the trusts we audit now and what we hope is by seeing their data online and comparing it against their peers, doctors and managers will feel more obliged to review their trauma care procedures, and ensure they are doing equally as well as some of their colleagues.”

The website has been in development for three years and is now available to the public to view, containing detailed reviews of performance and data breakdowns into the different aspects of trauma care.

It has been approved by the Healthcare Commission, which hopes it will encourage trusts ensure all standards of care are the same across the NHS.

Dr Jonathan Boyce, the commission’s head of surveys said: “Hospitals vary in their success in dealing with major trauma. Information like this must be designed by the doctors and nurses at the sharp end of care. This is essential knowledge if we are to find problem areas and improve results overall.”

Traumatic injuries from serious incidents such as road accidents and violence are the biggest cause of death and disability in people aged less than 44 years in the UK.

Trauma is also the most costly ‘disease’ – every year 10,000 mainly young people die as a result of injury with double the number severely disabled for life – the equivalent of two plane crashes every week. This costs the NHS £1.6bn every year.

Woodford added: “It’s important to remember that patients do not get a choice over trauma care, they just have to go wherever is nearest to the incident. As such an unplanned area, trusts have to be prepared to deal with these cases immediately and aim to save lives. Improving performance will help ensure that standards of care are not as variable, but similar across the country, of benefit to both the trust and patients.”

Dr Fiona Lecky, an A&E consultant at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Generally the standard of trauma care in UK hospitals participating in TARN is satisfactory and this initiative is an important foundation for monitoring and improving patient care in the future. However we simply don’t know how other trusts are doing – this must be a concern.”

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TARN