SIMON Corbell says Canberra Hospital’s trauma service is set to expand by six more doctors and one new nurse with an extra $5.3 million in funding to be provided over the next four years in the upcoming ACT Budget.

“The Canberra Hospital is the designated major trauma centre for the ACT and surrounding areas of New South Wales. This means that it needs to be equipped and able to manage high volumes of trauma and emergency cases that cannot be provided by other facilities,” Simon said.

“Like all areas of our health system, we are seeing increases in demand and this year’s budget is about expanding existing health care services to ensure it can continue to meet the needs of our community now and into the future.

“As part of this, we are expanding our trauma service to provide more trauma focussed physicians with specialist skills in emergency trauma care, trauma surgery, trauma intensive care and trauma rehabilitation.

“The new funding will also introduce a new model of care to help streamline the hospital journey for major trauma patients and enhance their quality of care with earlier access to trauma rehabilitation.

“As the care of trauma patients is complex and requires the expertise and skill of multiple specialties and clinical support services, the new model of care will provide patients and their families with better continuity of care while in the hospital.

“The expanded trauma service compliments the expansion of the Canberra Hospital Emergency Department, which is currently underway and it builds on the announcement earlier this week that the budget will inject $29 million over the next four years to boost the ED frontline with 54 new health staff.”