£4 Million Boost Expands Psychological Support at London’s Major Trauma Centres

Introduction

On 4 April 2025, NHS England detailed a £4 million investment to bolster mental health support at London’s major trauma centres. The funding enhances services for patients with severe injuries, their families, local communities, and the staff who care for them. This initiative is part of a two-year pilot programme, now in its second year, funded by the NHS London Violence Reduction Programme and led in partnership with NHS England’s specialised commissioning and emergency planning and resilience teams.

Pilot Programme and Implementation

The pilot involves introducing dedicated psychology teams at each of London’s four major trauma centres: King’s College Hospital, The Royal London Hospital, St George’s Hospital, and St Mary’s Hospital. Coordinated by Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and West London NHS Trust, each centre now hosts a full team of psychologists covering both children’s and adults’ services. These teams provide direct mental health care to patients and offer training and support for staff working in major trauma centres.

This approach ensures early identification of psychological support needs among major trauma patients, facilitating ongoing specialist support alongside existing community services. Prior to the pilot’s launch, the NHS estimated it would assist around 2,000 patients annually. In its first full year, the programme has supported over 5,000 patients.

Addressing Long-Term Psychological Impact

Approximately 40% of individuals who experience major traumatic injuries report serious, long-term psychological disorders, which can have devastating, sometimes lifelong, effects. Up to 35% of trauma patients do not return to work. The pilot aims to change this through early identification and prevention, ensuring major trauma patients receive the psychological support they need at the right time.

The teams also enhance the NHS’s ability to rapidly scale up psychological support in the event of major incidents, such as natural disasters, significant accidents, or terrorist attacks. They provide support to patients, their families, and staff in major trauma teams, as well as initiate coordination of psychological support for the wider community.

Statements from NHS Leaders

Dr Idit Albert, consultant clinical psychologist and clinical lead for the London Major Trauma Psychology Network, NHS London Violence Reduction Programme, NHS England, and West London NHS Trust, stated:

“I’m really pleased that we now have full psychological support teams in place at all four of London’s major trauma centres. This is a real step forward in ensuring equity in high-quality physical and psychological trauma care and is good news for patients and staff alike.

“Recent major incidents in London highlighted the critical importance of emergency and community services being able to provide an early and integrated response, as well as the need for proactive investment to support infrastructure, capacity and capability. Our pilot builds on this, allowing us to be more proactive in offering psychological support and helping us improve our preparedness to immediately step up in the event of a major incident.

“This is very much a collaborative effort between organisations across London, including the NHS, charities, local authorities, the Greater London Authority, Met Police, and of course experts by experience and local communities.”

Professor Karim Brohi, clinical director of the London major trauma system and trauma and vascular surgeon at Barts Health NHS Trust, commented:

“The introduction of the major trauma psychology teams across London has been transformative for our patients and staff. Major trauma staff have to deal with some of the most harrowing scenes imaginable, day after day. London delivers world-class injury care and we have the best survival rates anywhere.

“The psychology service enables trauma survivors to understand what has happened to them and to rebuild their lives. For our staff, psychological support and training allows them to look after themselves and thereby continue to provide the best care for their patients.”

Martin Griffiths, the London clinical director for violence reduction at NHS England and consultant trauma and vascular surgeon at Barts Health NHS Trust, added:

“This is a significant investment in the capital’s major trauma centres, which improves the NHS’s ability to support major trauma patients and staff through some of the most difficult moments in their lives.

“A major traumatic injury can have a huge impact on many different parts of a patient’s life, physically and emotionally. By working in partnership with the NHS and charity partners like Redthread and St Giles Trust, we want to ensure that teams can intervene at critical moments to help patients rebuild their lives.”

Conclusion

The expansion of psychological support services at London’s major trauma centres represents a significant advancement in holistic trauma care. By integrating mental health services into trauma care pathways, the NHS aims to improve patient outcomes, support staff wellbeing, and enhance preparedness for future major incidents.

Citation:
NHS England. (2025, April 4). Expansion of psychological support services at London’s major trauma centres. NHS England.