SWAH becomes NI Regional Centre for European Trauma Course

by Gráinne Connolly

The Western Health and Social Care Trust's (Western Trust) South West Acute Hospital has recently become the Northern Ireland (NI) Regional Centre for the European Trauma Course (ETC). 

ETC is an innovative life support course for doctors and other health care professionals that are involved in the acute care of major trauma patients. 

The course provides advanced trauma training with a strong focus on team work and non-technical skills and allows candidates to spend 85% of their time practicing in scenario based workshops and skill stations. 

Dr Ian Crawford, Western Trust Consultant in Emergency Medicine at the South West Acute Hospital and course organiser, said: 

"For senior clinicians across relevant specialties the ETC focuses on the skills that underpin the delivery of effective trauma care by trauma teams in major trauma centres nationally and internationally. 

"As the NI Regionmal Centre for the ETC we look forward to contributing to trauma care locally and regionally going forward by delivering the course in our state of the art education centre here at the South West Acute Hospital."

(Those who participated in the inaugural ETC, which included candidates from the South West Acute Hospital, Enniskillen and other NI hospitals and instructors from across the United Kingdom).