Royal Hospital for Children and Young People
The Royal Hospital for Children and Young people is one of three Paediatric Major Trauma Centres in Scotland. There are also Paediatric Major Trauma Centre’s in Aberdeen & Glasgow.
The Major Trauma team at the RHCYP cares for children and young people who have had accidents that affect multiple parts of their bodies. These patients might stay in a few different wards during their stay. They will have treatment from many different specialists including those working with broken bones, injuries to the head and spine, and skin injuries. Some children and young people might need operations and often start their stay in the Critical Care ward.
The Major Trauma Centre provides care to children and young people across the South East of Scotland.
Visit the Paediatric Major Trauma Centre Website
The Paediatric Trauma Pathway
Pre-hospital
When a child is injured, a decision will be made to bring them to the closest trauma centre, by road ambulance or sometimes using the air ambulance helicopter.
Acute Care
Emergency Care or treatment will be given when a patient arrives at hospital, into the Emergency Department. Trauma patients do not have to wait or register at reception – they are taken directly to start their treatment by a specialist team who are contacted before the patient gets to hospital and are ready for them to arrive.
Ongoing Care
Ongoing care might take place in a ward in the RHCYP. Children and young people will be welcomed onto the most-suitable ward, depending on their individual injuries, or the type of specialist help they need the most. If they are well enough, some patients might be transferred to another hospital, such as a local trauma unit or to a hospital closer to home.
Rehab
Rehabilitation will be provided to help children and young people recover physically and mentally, feel stronger and get ready to go back to everyday life. Rehabilitation will start early on in the hospital journey, after all injuries have been diagnosed and a plan has been made for treatment. AHPs working at the RHCYP, or working in the community, are specially-trained to help children and young people and a dedicated team will be working with patients after a serious injury or trauma.
