Dr. Colm Henry:

That refers to the trauma strategy, which instead of bringing all patients with all categories of trauma to all 26 acute hospitals, is progressing us towards international best practice, where we siphon off those patients with identifiable major trauma and bring them directly to one of two major trauma centres. That has been proven to improve outcomes, reduce mortality and morbidity, and accelerate recovery for patients with major trauma. As part of that trauma network, we will have two major trauma centres with, as the Senator correctly noted, one in Cork and one in Dublin. The centre in Dublin has been identified as the Mater hospital. They will link with a network of trauma units, that will continue to manage all other categories of trauma. Then if one looks at the pyramid of trauma, from the small top of major trauma, to the great mass of trauma that can be managed by, maybe, 15 units altogether in the country, and then there is the lower level of trauma, which can be managed in local injury units and not even in emergency departments. It is an integrated trauma strategy that foresees two major trauma centres dealing with the high-end, critical and small number of major trauma cases.