THEY wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for the specialist care they received at Southampton’s major trauma centre. After being involved in terrifying accidents, patients survived horrific, life-threatening injuries because they received the immediate, expert treatment that meant the difference between life and death. But they are not the only ones. Today latest figures have revealed that 20 per cent more patients are now surviving severe trauma thanks to the launch of major trauma centres, of which Southampton is one of 22. An independent audit of Major Trauma Networks has highlighted the significant increase in patient survival rates, with one in five patients who would have died before the networks were up and running, now recovering from severe injuries. It is a huge boost for the major trauma team at Southampton General Hospital, who have been in operation since April last year, receiving patients from across the Wessex region, 24 hours, seven days a week. During that time the centre has received 235 trauma calls, 56 per cent were injured in a fall and 35 per cent were involved in road accidents. Patients such as Benjamin Nancholas, who suffered a critical brain injury after being hit by a car on a zebra crossing in Winchester, just days before Christmas. When he was found collapsed by his brother, the 26-year-old was not taken to his nearest hospital, instead he was taken straight to the specialists in Southampton thanks to the Wessex Trauma Network, where he survived his injuries. Jordon Griffin, 19, is another patient alive today after being treated at the centre after sustaining serious injuries during a motorcycle accident. Dr Andy Eynon, director of major trauma at Southampton General Hospital, said: “The creation of a major trauma system in England last year was a defining moment for emergency care in the NHS and these initial results have exceeded expectations of how quickly we could transform outcomes nationwide. “What we are witnessing in major trauma care could set a precedent for much wider transformation of many areas of the NHS, such as stroke, vascular surgery and cardiac care.” Trauma is the leading cause of death in children and adults under the age of 40, but these figures show how getting the right patient to the right hospital at the right time can save lives and improve recovery from serious trauma. Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, medical director for NHS England, added: “The figures remind us that some patients are best treated in a specialist centre that isn’t always closest to their home. While patients may spend longer in an ambulance, the expert care provided at major trauma centres saves lives and improves outcomes.”