About Us

Working as part of the London Major Trauma System

London’s four Major Trauma Centres are part of the London Major Trauma System — a unique network of hospitals, air ambulances and paramedics that treats over 12,000 people each year who have experienced serious or life‑threatening injury.

Up to 30–40 per cent of trauma patients experience significant long‑term psychological difficulties following injury. Without early support, this can have devastating and lifelong effects, increasing demand on health, social care and other public services. The Network’s work focuses on early identification, prevention and coordinated care, ensuring people receive the right psychological support at the right time.

The London Major Trauma Psychology Network was established in 2023 to address longstanding inequalities in psychological care following major trauma and to strengthen London’s preparedness and response to major incidents. The Network improves mental health and wellbeing support for patients with major trauma injuries, their families and carers, affected communities, and the staff who care for them.

Major Trauma Centre (MTC) Psychology

The Network’s pilot programme has embedded dedicated multidisciplinary psychology teams within London’s four Major Trauma Centres:

• King’s College Hospital
• Royal London Hospital
• St George’s Hospital
• St Mary’s Hospital

These teams provide early, proactive psychological assessment and intervention for adults and children admitted following major trauma, alongside support for families and carers. Psychological care is integrated into acute trauma pathways to identify needs early, reduce long‑term harm, and ensure patients are linked into appropriate community and specialist services after discharge.

The teams also support the wider trauma workforce through training, consultation and reflective practice, helping build trauma‑informed care across the system.

Major Incident Psychological Coordination

In addition to improving routine major trauma care, the Network plays a Pan‑London leadership and coordination role for psychologically informed responses to major incidents, such as large‑scale accidents, natural disasters, or terrorist attacks.

Working alongside emergency planners and partners, the Network:

• Integrates psychological and wellbeing support into major incident preparedness and response plans
• Activates coordinated psychological pathways through Major Trauma Centres following an incident, that helps support survivors, bereaved families, affected communities and professional responders from the immediate aftermath through longer‑term recovery
• Provides clinical leadership to ensure responses are trauma‑informed, culturally competent and community‑centred
• Works with NHS organisations, local authorities, police, and voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) partners to ensure support is aligned and complementary across the system

This coordinated approach is informed by learning from previous major incidents and is designed to minimise long‑term psychological harm, reduce inequalities in access to support, and strengthen trust with affected communities.

Partnership and Funding

Integrated Major Trauma Psychological Model of care and stepped up Major Incident Coordination is funded by the NHS England London Violence Reduction Programme and led in partnership with NHS England’s specialised commissioning and emergency planning and resilience teams.

Key Contacts

• Dr Idit Albert
  Consultant Clinical Psychologist
  Clinical Lead, Pan‑London Major Trauma Psychology Network
  London Violence Reduction Programme, NHS England & West London NHS Trust

• Claire Ruiz
  Senior Programme Manager
  London Violence Reduction Programme, NHS England

• Dr Ruth Dennis
  Head of Psychology, Psychological Medicine Service Linegist
  West London NHS Trust

Key Documents

Download all documents and publications via our publications page.