STAG Annual Report

In Scotland, as with the rest of the world, traumatic injury remains a significant cause of premature death and long-term disability. Whilst strategies to prevent traumatic injury are paramount, the people of Scotland need to have confidence in the quality of the medical services that deal with those injuries, from point-of-injury through to recovery, once they unfortunately occur.

In 2013, the Scottish Government set out the case for a national trauma network. Planning was undertaken to better understand the needs of the population and a full proposal for a national network was submitted in 2016. The Scottish Trauma Network (STN) went live in 2018 with a phased rollout over the subsequent three years. With implementation complete by 2024, the STN is now in a period maturation, refinement and strategic planning.

The Scottish Audit Trauma Group (STAG), a part of the Scottish National Audit Programme (SNAP), is an integral part of our ability to manage traumatic injuries in Scotland. The data it collects, analyses and reports on offer a near complete picture of the epidemiology, service performance and patient outcomes in those who sadly suffer severe traumatic injury in Scotland. Its work remains fundamental in maintaining and improving the quality of care delivered by those healthcare professionals dealing with traumatic injury.

Collaboration between the STN and the STAG remains strong. Performance indicators are reviewed regularly as the STN continues to mature and our trauma population changes. Further refinement is likely in line with the imminent arrival of the new STN service specification. Analysis of patient outcome data in terms of survival, quality of life and ability to work following traumatic injury remains important to assess how the STN is performing and developing.

In this annual report, the STAG has used a recalibrated survival prediction model, with it now incorporating pre-existing medical conditions and calibrated to the modern Scottish trauma population. The improved survival rates seen are supportive of a high functioning and maturing national network. Equally positive are the reductions in severe disability following traumatic injury and in the self-reporting of moderate to extreme problems with mobility, pain and self-care. However, there remains much work to do. With an aging population comes increasing frailty and complexity. This is highlighted by falls being the predominant mechanism by which people severely injury themselves. We must do more to better identify and then treat this group of patients. Of critical importance is the need for ongoing national oversight and strategic input into falls prevention.

The STN thanks the STAG for its continued hard work and dedication in the pursuit of improving the outcomes of patients who have sadly suffered traumatic injury in Scotland. You can read the full STAG Annual Report.