Trauma and Orthopaedics
Trauma Service
Patient Information Leaflet
What happens on admission?
When you arrive in the Emergency Department, you will be assessed by the team and appropriate tests will be ordered.
You will be seen by the relevant specialty team and a decision will be made about the appropriate ward to admit you to.
On the ward, you will be seen by many different team members including doctors, nurses and therapy teams.
Visiting times
Visitors will be able to visit between 11am and 8pm in most areas. Please check with the ward you are on.
Only two visitors are allowed at any one time and it is requested that people do not visit if they have any signs of illness, such as sickness and diarrhoea or any symptoms of COVID-19. This is to protect all of the patients in our hospital and we ask for your support with this.
How long will I stay in hospital?
This will depend on your injuries and your own personal needs. The team will discuss your discharge from day one so that a plan can be put in place.
Once the doctors feel that you are medically optimised, you will be ready to leave hospital. Most patients return home, some with community support. For those that need further rehabilitation, or are unable to return home, this will be discussed with you by the ward team.
Useful contact numbers
| Main switchboard | 01384 456 111 |
| Ward B2 Trauma (Areas 1 and 2)
Ward B2 Hip Suite (Areas 3 and 4) |
Ext 2784 and 2132
Ext 4687 and 4302 |
| Ward B3 | Ext 2717 |
| Ward B4 (Area 1)
Ward B4 (Area 2) Ward B4 (Area 3) Ward B4 (Area 4) |
Ext 1676
Ext 1688 Ext 1689 Ext 2126 |
| Emergency Surgical Hub (ESH) Area 1 Emergency Surgical Hub (ESH) Area 2
Emergency Surgical Hub (ESH) Area 3 |
Ext 3359
Ext 1140 Ext 4428 |
| Critical Care Unit (Area A)
Critical Care Unit (Area B) Critical Care Unit (Area C) |
01384 244 649
01384 244 204 Ext 2858 |
Useful information to support your care and recovery
Rehabilitation
After a traumatic injury, the therapy team plays an important role in helping people return to independence and to regain their mobility. This includes assisting with planning your discharge from hospital, taking into account your home environment and lifestyle, and continuing therapy and care needs. The therapy team specialise in understanding the implications of surgery or injury, the needs of people who have sustained traumatic injuries and how this will affect you when you return home.
What to expect on discharge
Following your treatment, and once the medical teams feel you are safe for discharge, you will be ready to leave hospital.
Whether you go straight home or elsewhere for further rehabilitation will depend on how you have recovered and whether you require any more rehabilitation.
Before you leave hospital, you will receive a medical discharge summary and be given any medication.
You may be referred to a Community Therapy team on discharge if you require ongoing therapy. The team on the ward will discuss this with you.
Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
We will do everything we can to make sure that you receive the best standards of care.
However, sometimes we may not achieve this and your expectations may not be met. If this happens, we will do our best to put things right and learn from your concern or complaint to improve our service to others.
Our PALS team will aim to resolve your issues as quickly as possible. In cases where concerns, unfortunately, cannot be resolved by the end of the next working day, or need investigating further, the PALS team will refer your concerns on to the complaints team.
- Email: dgft.pals@nhs.net
- Freephone: 0800 073 0510
- Direct line: 01384 244420
Support groups
After Trauma – aims to provide a community for patients and families to rebuild lives and support each other after experiencing a traumatic injury. It also contains useful information and resources.
Headway – is a charity that provides a range of services for adults with an acquired brain injury and their families.
Spinal Injuries Association – their aim is to be the go-to place for everyone affected by spinal cord injury (SCI), so that they can quickly connect them to the vast network of people, organisations and services they need.
RoadPeace – they provide information and support services to people bereaved or seriously injured in road crashes, and engage in evidence-based policy and campaigning work to fight for justice for victims and reduce road danger.