Oxford Trauma and Emergency Care at the Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS), along with the Critical Care Research Team at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences (NDCN) have formally become a new institute within the University of Oxford: the Kadoorie Institute for Trauma, Emergency and Critical Care.
Trauma, Emergency, and Critical Care are among the most significant challenges facing patients, and healthcare systems worldwide. The three specialty areas are bound together by a need for speed – ‘urgent’ interventions to save patients’ lives and improve their recovery.
In the UK, hundreds of thousands of patients are treated in Emergency Departments, Trauma and Critical Care Units each year. Research to improve the outcomes for patients who need urgent treatments is a key priority for the NHS. With ever increasing pressure on NHS resources, there is also a need to make sure that all new treatments are cost effective as well.
Building on the internationally recognised research of both University Departments, the world-renowned patient care at Oxford University Hospitals and generous funding support from the Kadoorie Charitable Foundation, the new institute brings together research across trauma, emergency care, and critical care. It will design and test innovative treatments and care pathways that improve patient outcomes and deliver more efficient healthcare. By combining resources and expertise across all three specialties, the institute will accelerate this research.
Based within the John Radcliffe Hospital, the centre of urgent care in Oxford, the institute sits jointly within NDORMS and NDCN. While the institute’s research work will continue to inform best practice and health policy in the UK through bodies such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), it will also grow its ever more impactful global research programme. The institute will also continue to deliver education for both researchers and health professionals working in trauma, emergency and critical care in Oxford, the UK and globally.
Professor Matt Costa, Kadoorie Institute Director (NDORMS), said: “The creation of the Kadoorie Institute allows us to bring together world-leading research in trauma and emergency care under a single, coherent structure. By integrating our work more closely with critical care, we are better placed to generate evidence that directly improves outcomes for patients and strengthens the way care is delivered across the NHS.”
Professor Peter Watkinson, Kadoorie Institute Director (NDCN), added: “This institute reflects the reality of modern acute care, where trauma, emergency medicine and critical care are inseparable. The Kadoorie Institute provides a powerful platform for interdisciplinary research, enabling us to translate discoveries rapidly into clinical practice and make a real difference for patients with life-threatening illness or injury.”
Both Professor Costa and Professor Watkinson are senior researchers in the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, which funds University of Oxford academics to carry out research that benefits the NHS and its patients.
The Director of the Oxford BRC, Professor Helen McShane, said: “Many of the advances in patient care made in Oxford in fields such as critical care, trauma and musculoskeletal sciences have been achieved with the support of our BRC. We are delighted to see the establishment of the Kadoorie Institute for Trauma, Emergency and Critical Care. Bringing together these areas in a single Institute will undoubtedly facilitate and expedite the development of better care pathways and treatments for patients.”
OUH Chief Medical Officer Dr Andrew Brent said: “Oxford University Hospitals is not only one of the leading acute NHS trusts in England, it is also the location for world-leading research, thanks to our strong clinical-academic partnership with our university colleagues. We welcome the creation of this Kadoorie Institute, not least because it brings together leading experts in these related specialties which are so fundamental for the work of our Trust. We look forward to many advances in the fields of trauma, emergency and critical care which will improve outcomes for patients in Oxford and beyond.”
The establishment and ongoing work of the institute are supported by generous funding from the Kadoorie Charitable Foundation, whose long-standing commitment to advancing medical research has been instrumental in enabling this next phase of development.
NDORMS Head of Department Professor Jonathan Rees adds: “The launch of the Kadoorie Institute for Trauma, Emergency and Critical Care marks an important milestone in Oxford’s commitment to improving care for patients with acute and life-threatening conditions. It strengthens our position as a global research leader in trauma, emergency and critical care research, and demonstrates the importance of embedding strong partnerships between our academic university departments and our NHS partners.”
NDCN Head of Department Professor Kevin Talbot said: “The formation of the Kadoorie Institute for Trauma, Emergency and Critical Care highlights the strength of collaboration between NDCN, NDORMS and Oxford University Hospitals. By bringing together expertise across these disciplines, the institute creates an exceptional environment for discovery, translation and clinical impact, benefiting patients locally and across healthcare systems worldwide.”