The Major Trauma Centre accepts patients from across the South West of England, from Cornwall to Gloucester, covering a paediatric population of around 810,000. In its first year, the centre has seen 202 paediatric major trauma patients. The day marked the first anniversary of the hospital becoming the Paediatric Major Trauma Centre for the South West of England, as well as the centralisation of specialist paediatric services in Bristol. For more information visit Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. 

North Bristol NHS Trust is one of two designated Major Trauma Centres in South West England, servicing the Severn region. 

The Major Trauma Centre, supported by six acute trusts as designated trauma units, helps increase the chances of survival and recovery for seriously ill patients. 

The Brunel building, Southmead Hospital, is equipped with a helipad and a major specialty for: 

• Neurosurgery 

• Burns 

• Plastics 

• Pelvic Surgery 

• Open Fractures 

As a Major Trauma Centre, Southmead Hospital will ensure that patients who are admitted have access to specialist equipment and a full range of trauma specialists, including orthopaedics, neurosurgery and radiology teams. 

This will help improve patients’ chances of survival and help them recover faster; it is estimated that survival rates are increased by up to 30%. 

In addition to clinical teams, we have a team of experienced nurses and therapists who are available specifically to coordinate the care of seriously injured patients and provide support and information to patients and families both during and after their stay at the Major Trauma Centre. 

Investigators: Lucy Southby, Yvonne Wren, Amy Davies, Sharon Baker, Helen Extence, Neil Brierley

Timescale: January - December 2023

Funder: CLEFT Bridging the Gap Charity https://www.cleft.org.uk/

Children born with cleft palate are at risk of speech problems and delayed early language development. During the COVID-19 pandemic, treatments for children born with a cleft were often delayed and the environment that young children were exposed to was different because of lockdowns, social distancing and facemasks. This research aims to understand whether these differences from the pandemic have had an impact on the early speech and language development of children born with a cleft. Using data from The Cleft Collective cohort studies, this work will describe the early speech and language skills of children born with a cleft (up to age 2 years) who were born just before or during the pandemic and compare them to children who reached age two years before the pandemic started.
 

Upcoming events

 Innovation in Action: Empowering SLTs in the South West Through Connection

Innovation in Action: Empowering SLTs in the South West Through Connection and Community, is set to relaunch the RCSLT's South West Hub by providing an exciting opportunity for SLTs, researchers, Therapy Assistants and students to come together to build connections and share knowledge, experiences and best practices.

Taking place on Friday, July 11 at the Taunton Conference Centre at Taunton College, the full-day event will begin with bit of networking over tea, coffee and biscuits before a mix of presentations and workshops - sandwiching a free buffet lunch - and numerous chances to network with your regional SLT colleagues.

The event is free to attend for RCSLT members based in the South West (please have your RCSLT membership number at hand when ordering your ticket) but please note that places are limited due to venue capacity. Extensive car parking is available on-site, with a daily charge of £1, while the venue is around a 15-minute walk from Taunton station.

For more information visit cmemailmarketing.co.uk

To secure your place visit Innovation in Action: Empowering SLTs in the South West Through Connection Tickets, Fri 11 Jul 2025 at 09:30 | Eventbrite

Past Events

BSLTRU and Underwood Trust Annual lecture

Title: All Children Should be Seen AND Heard: The Importance of Communication so Children can Thrive

We are happy to announce that this year’s BSLTRU and Underwood Trust Annual Lecture is taking place on Tuesday, 30th of April at 4 pm, in the Lecture Theatre in L&D Building at Southmead Hospital. Our guest speaker this year will be Professor Sharynne McLeod from Charles Sturt University, Australia. Professor McLeod, is a speech-language pathologist and professor of speech and language acquisition at Charles Sturt University, Australia. She is a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and the Royal Society of New South Wales. She has received Honors of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Life Membership of Speech Pathology Australia and has been an Australian Research Council Future Fellow.

RCSLT Conference 2023. Embracing the future together.

1-2 November 2023

The RCSLT is hosting their biannual conference online again this year on the 1-2 November. The conference promises "two days of opportunities for learning, professional development, and networking". Colleagues at BSLTRU and Cardiff Metropolitan University (CMU) will be presenting their research at this event. ​

​The conference is exceptionally good value, making it very accessible. We are planning on extending this inclusive event by hosting opportunities to gather 'in-person' at Southmead (Weds 1st Nov) and Cardiff Llandaff campus (Thurs 2nd Nov). BSLTRU/CMU will make several rooms available over the 2 days so that colleagues registered to attend the conference can gather to watch and discuss parallel sessions. We hope this will provide an enhanced networking opportunity and give colleagues the chance to critically engage with the conference content. ​

​For more information go to: www.rcslt.org/events/rcslt-conference-2023/section-1

If you are interested in joining us for the conference, please email dominika.kruszynska@nbt.nhs.uk to express your interest​ by 20th October 2023.

BSLTRU and Underwood Trust

BSLTRU and Underwood Trust were pleased to host our Annual Lecture on the 29th of June 2023 in the Lecture Theatre at Southmead Hospital in Bristol. Our guest speaker was Professor Janice Murray from Manchester Metropolitan University who presented on: “Clinical decision processes in augmentative and alternative communication: unpicking the elements that influence recommendations”.

Partnership with Cardiff Metropolitan University’s School of Sport and Health Sciences

BSLTRU is partnered with Cardiff Metropolitan University’s School of Sport and Health Sciences which trains speech and language therapists in the region. BSLTRU leads the Clinical Research Strand in the Speech, Hearing and Communication Research Group within the University.

To officially mark the occasion of this partnership, a launch event is took place on Wednesday 22 June 2022 at Cardiff School of Management.

This tour allows you take take a virtual walk through Bristol Brain Centre. 

This tour allows you take take a virtual walk through the Bristol Brain Centre. 

At North Bristol NHS Trust the test used to investigate a potential clinical diagnosis of HIT is an ELISA for heparin/PF4 antibodies.

A pretest probability should be calculated and the need for investigation discussed with a haematologist. The assay will not be performed without a 4Ts score.

 Estimating the pretest probability of HIT: the ‘four Ts’

If the pretest probability is low consider whether a HIT heparin/PF4 antibody assay should be performed.  If the pretest probability is high, heparin should be stopped and an alternative anticoagulant given whilst laboratory tests are performed.

The immunological tests have high sensitivity, 80–100%, for heparin/PF4 antibodies but the diagnostic specificity for the clinical syndrome of HIT is low. A strongly positive test indicates a much greater likelihood of HIT than a weakly positive test.

Gastrointestinal (GI) physiology is an outpatient service offering investigations and support for patients experiencing symptoms such as:

• Constipation
• Faecal incontinence
• Difficulty swallowing
• Acid reflux.

Tests offered

• Hydrogen breath tests (SIBO/lactose intolerance/fructose intolerance)
• Anorectal physiology +/- biofeedback
• Trans-anal irrigation
• Oesophageal manometry & overnight pH/impedance testing

All the above tests can be offered on the NHS or privately. For private patients, please contact us for further information.

Useful links

• www.bbuk.org.uk
• www.bladderandbowel.org
• www.nhs.uk/conditions/bowel-incontinence

Please make referrals to vascular testing for investigations via the ICE system.

Clinicians can refer to the Vascular Network via NHS eReferrals where possible, or by refer a patient. 

Please visit Vascular Services - For Clinicians for more details and urgent referrals

To speak to a member of the Vascular Testing team to discuss referrals or results, please call  0117 414 5300

Our opening hours are 8 am – 6 pm Monday to Friday. Any referrals made after 4:30 are not guaranteed to be performed on the same day. Any urgent referrals made after 4:30, please call the department. Please leave a voicemail outside of these hours if necessary and we will return your call.

Deep vein thrombosis scan

Requests are no longer accepted by primary care. Please refer to GP Care for this assessment by visiting Deep Vein Thrombosis - GP Care.