Beaumont and Mater working on ‘clinical pathway’ for head injuries

Clinical representatives from Beaumont Hospital and the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital in Dublin are currently “working in collaboration to develop a proposed clinical pathway for head-injured patients”, the HSE has informed this newspaper.

As reported in the Medical Independent (MI) in August 2021, the Government’s decision to designate the Mater as the major trauma centre (MTC) for the central trauma network led to criticism regarding neurosurgery provision.

At the time, neurosurgeons at the national neurosurgical centre in Beaumont said they believed the centre needed to be co-located with the MTC.

Earlier this year, MI reported that a neuro-trauma clinical advisory group (CAG) had been established to work through detailed service considerations to enable an integrated model of care for neurotrauma/ neurocritical care services for the MTC in Dublin, as a collaboration between both hospitals.

Regarding the CAG’s recent report to the HSE, an Executive spokesperson said clinical representatives from Beaumont and the Mater were working to develop a “proposed clinical pathway for head-injured patients” following a recent presentation to the HSE’s trauma programme steering group.

The MTCs in Cork University Hospital and the Mater are due to commence operation by the end of this year. At the Mater, four consultant appointments have been made with an additional six expected to commence shortly and a further three at an advanced stage of recruitment.

Annual funding to appoint 17 consultants for the Mater MTC had been secured.

The HSE said it has provided annual funding to appoint 13 consultants for the MTC at Cork University Hospital for stage one of a three-stage implementation plan to deliver a fully functional MTC over the next seven years. Recruitment was “underway”.