The Minister for Health announced details in October of €4 million allocation for the National Trauma Strategy in Budget 2025.
The funding, which has a full year cost of €8 million in 2026, will facilitate:
- 90 additional staff to progress the development of an inclusive trauma system.
- Additional staffing for opening and commissioning of important capital projects at the two Major Trauma Centres in the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital and Cork University Hospital.
- Establishment of a Trauma Unit with Specialist Services at University Hospital Galway.
- Development of Planned Trauma Care services at Merlin Park, Galway.
- Investment in additional staffing for the Trauma Units at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda and University Hospital Waterford.
Minister Donnelly said, “The funding I have allocated for 2025 brings the total investment in the National Trauma Strategy to €16.65 million to date. Building on significant progress, the investment in 2025 will ensure the continued delivery of an inclusive trauma system. International best practice tells us that the introduction of inclusive trauma systems significantly reduces the number of deaths and disabilities caused by major trauma.”
CEO of the Health Service Executive Bernard Gloster said,
“I welcome this additional funding for the National Trauma Strategy. Major trauma involves injuries which have the potential to cause prolonged disability or death, and this additional funding will further enable the implementation of an inclusive trauma system and trauma services across the country where patients will receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.”
HSE National Clinical Lead for Trauma Services Keith Synnott said, “This funding is extremely welcome as it will allow us to build on the fundamentals that have been put in place as part of the trauma system implementation plan. The next steps of the implementation plan will allow for a strategic alignment between trauma and scheduled care and allow us to achieve important milestones across the Central and South trauma networks to improve patient outcomes.”
The funding will enable additional staffing for the opening and commissioning of important capital projects at the two Major Trauma Centres in the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital and Cork University Hospital, as well as additional staffing for the new Trauma Unit with Specialist Services at University Hospital Galway (UHG). This unit will provide for additional trauma presentations at the Emergency Department at UHG and specialist spinal services for the region.
Additionally, investment will be provided to develop Planned Trauma Care Services at Merlin Park, Galway which will address the demands of both trauma and scheduled care and allow for low complexity trauma to be managed on a planned, day case basis.
Funding has also been allocated to develop the Trauma Units at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda and University Hospital Waterford. These Trauma Units will deliver trauma care of lesser severity in their regions.
The Trauma Strategy, ‘A Trauma System for Ireland: The Report of the Trauma Steering Group‘ was approved by Government in February 2018. The Strategy recommended the development of an inclusive trauma system, to co-ordinate and standardise the care of approximately 1,600 patients who suffer major trauma in Ireland each year.
The Report recommended two regional hub-and-spoke trauma networks. Each Network has one designated Major Trauma Centre (MTC) for the treatment of major trauma and Trauma Units for the treatment of injuries of a lesser severity.
The first phase of the Trauma Strategy implementation saw the establishment of two MTCs for the Central and South Trauma Networks. Major trauma services officially launched the MTCs at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital and Cork University Hospital in April 2023.
Concentrating the care of severely injured patients in dedicated Major Trauma Centres is associated with improved access to care, reduced length of stay and better outcomes for patients.
Since 2018, €12.65 million development funding was provided to implement the Trauma Strategy, which included provision for 146 WTE to deliver trauma services. Additional funding of €4 million for new service developments in 2025 (full year funding of €8 million in 2026) has been provided in Budget 2025 for the ongoing implementation of the Trauma Strategy. Almost €18 million capital investment has also been provided for the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital and Cork University Hospital trauma services.
