Bedford Hospital only site in East of England to run advanced trauma course for nurses

Bedford Hospital has been granted provisional approval by the Royal College of Surgeons of England to run the Advanced Trauma Nursing Course (ATNC) from next year.

And, it will be the only site in the East of England region to offer this.

The ATNC is a three-day course for registered nurses, paramedics and operating department practitioners (ODPs). It allows individuals to develop the skills to care for trauma patients.

It’s also recognised as appropriate preparation for achieving Level 2 National Major Trauma Nursing Competencies.

Sally Smith, emergency department matron at Bedford Hospital, spearheaded the application.

She said: “An application to the Royal College of Surgeons of England was made as currently in the Eastern Region there is no ATNC course provision, so for us to be awarded this to run concurrently with the medical staff Advanced Trauma Life Support Course (ATLS) in 2024 is a massive achievement.”

Running the ATNC at Bedford Hospital will allow staff to be trained on site, reducing cost in the longer term.

Paul Tisi, medical director for Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – which runs the hospital – said: “This will allow us to train our own staff from both hospital sites and develop our own training faculty. This is another example of why Bedfordshire Hospitals is an excellent teaching centre.”

Sally added: “It’s a very exciting opportunity. We will be able to improve the quality of nursing knowledge, skill and care given to our trauma patients and improve their journey and experience.”