The trauma services of NSW provide expert care for injured patients, coordinating the multidisciplinary teams and advocating for patients during both the acute and rehabilitative phases.
Pre-hospital and retrieval
The pre-hospital and retrieval services ensure that people who are seriously injured receive optimal assessment and resuscitation at the scene of injury and rapid transport to the nearest appropriate trauma service.
More about the pre-hospital and retrieval services
Levels of service
The NSW trauma system involves three levels of service.
Major trauma services
A major trauma service (MTS) can provide the full spectrum of care for majorly and moderately injured patients, from initial resuscitation through to rehabilitation and discharge.
More about major trauma services
Regional trauma services
A regional trauma service (RTS) can provide all aspects of care to patients with moderate to minor trauma. It can also administer definitive care to a limited number of major trauma patients in collaboration with the MTS.
An RTS provides initial assessment, stabilisation, definitive care, and initiates transfer to an MTS when a patient requires services beyond what is available at the RTS.
More about regional trauma services
Local hospitals
Local hospitals are an important component of the trauma system, but are not designated trauma services. Local hospitals may be tertiary hospitals, such as the Prince of Wales Hospital, or hospitals predominantly serving local communities in metropolitan or rural areas. As per the NSW Ambulance Protocol T1, these hospitals will be bypassed for major trauma. They will continue to receive minor to moderate trauma cases via ambulance and occasionally major trauma by private individuals.
In rural and remote areas, where the travel times are too great (over 1 hour) for patients to be transported directly to an RTS, the rural local hospitals will provide initial assessment, resuscitation and early transfer to an RTS or MTS.
Related services
Two statewide specialist services form part of the NSW trauma network.
The Statewide Burn Injury Service coordinates and provides management of patients who have sustained a severe burn injury.
The State Spinal Cord Injury Service is responsible for the management of patients who have sustained a spinal cord injury where there is persistent neurological deficit.
NSW trauma services model of care
The NSW trauma services model of care document outlines the resourcing and performance requirements of designated trauma services with the goal of reducing unwarranted clinical variation and improved patient outcomes.