Trauma Service

What we do

We treat 5,000 trauma patients every year, with over 1,000 of those being classified as major traumas. We provide emergency, trauma and critical care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The trauma service provides care for patients with multisystem injuries. This includes those from falls, assaults, motor vehicle crashes, workplace, water sports, self-harm and all other injuries. The trauma service cares for patients in conjunction with the healthcare team, including the surgery, emergency, neurosurgical, orthopaedic, plastic, intensive care, anaesthetic, urological, ophthalmological, maxillofacial, ENT, blood bank, addiction medicine and allied health services.

The service is responsible for and coordinates care for this complex patient group to ensure the RMH provides the best care outcomes for patients. It also integrates with all other levels of trauma service providers across the state, both rural and metropolitan, to ensure the highest standard of care for injured major trauma patients.

Injury prevention

Traumatic incidents and the resulting injuries are the leading cause of death and disability in young Australians.

These traumatic injuries are often sustained as a result of risk taking behaviours such as drink driving, speeding and assaults. Over the last 5 years, we admitted over 5,000 patients aged 15 to 25 years, with 30% of patients sustaining life threatening injuries with long term consequences.

The most common causes of these injuries are road trauma (48% cars and pedestrians), assaults and fights (28%), and falls (14%). Where there has been serious and life threatening injuries sustained, 35% of these cases involved drugs or alcohol in some way.

“Road trauma costs Victorians close to $4 billion every year, with each single fatality costing the community about $1.5 million and every serious injury costing approximately $400,000”
Transport Accident Commission, 2010

Ultimately patients with serious injuries require some sort of prolonged hospital admission and in addition a rehabilitation program to assist them to return to their pre accident state if possible. However, the true effects of trauma goes beyond the significant health care costs.. These individuals are young, productive members of the workforce, permanent or temporary loss of their potential working years is a further detriment to the community, not to mention the ongoing emotional effects to family and friends.

The Prevent Alcohol and Risk Related Trauma in Youth (PARTY) program

Young people are at more risk of becoming a victim of trauma than any other age group.

Unsafe driving, drinking and other risky behaviours increase their chances of being killed or injured in a traumatic incident such as a car accident, fall or assault.

Our PARTY program aims to help young people understand risks, choices and consequences.