North Bristol NHS Trust hosts the Severn Trauma Network (STN) and they are responsible for employing the ODN team and supporting their roles. Oversight and governance arrangements for the Network is provided in partnership with NHS South West Specialised Commissioning.

The Network team includes a Clinical Director, a Network Manager and clinical and managerial leads for the MTC and each TU. There are also other leads for specific clinical areas, for example, rehabilitation and governance.

About Us

North Bristol NHS Trust hosts the Severn Major Trauma Network (SMTN) and they are responsible for employing the ODN team and supporting their roles. Oversight and governance arrangements for the Network is provided in partnership with NHS South West Specialised Commissioning.

The Network team includes a Clinical Director, a Network Manager and clinical and managerial leads for the MTC and each TU. There are also other leads for specific clinical areas, for example, rehabilitation and governance.

Network Clinical Director:  Julian Thompson MA(Oxon) BMBCh MD(Res) MRCP FRCA FFICM EDIC DMCC DipIMC RCSEd

Dr Julian Thompson is a Consultant in Intensive Care at Southmead Hospital Bristol, Clinical Director of the Severn Major Trauma Network, Associate Professor at the University of Stavanger, Norway, and a Critical Care Doctor for the Great Western Air Ambulance.

Julian was trained in Oxford and London, completed a doctorate in genetics at University College London and has worked in a range of international healthcare systems. Previous leadership experience includes being Executive Director of London’s Air Ambulance from 2011-15, working as a medical officer in the British Army and leading expeditions that include reaching the summit of Mount Everest. He is Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine and his research interests include critical care, major trauma and extreme environment medicine.

Network Manager: Shabba Vaithianathan

South West Paediatric Clinical Lead: Dr Giles Haythornthwaite MB BS ASM MRCPCH

Giles is a Consultant in Paediatric Emergency Medicine at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. He was the children’s hospital major trauma centre lead from the designation of the children’s hospital in 2014 until he was appointed as the Southwest paediatric network lead in 2020. Giles has worked to raise awareness of major trauma in paediatrics and the consideration of children in the trauma networks. He is a contributor to the trauma component in the APLS course and has suggested changes to improve the safeguarding of children with major trauma at a local and national level. He is a medical advisor to the ICON program which aims to reduce abuse head injuries in children through helping parents cope with infant crying.

Network Rehabilitation Director: Dr Shigong Guo LLM MSc(Orth Eng) MRCS 

Shigong Guo is a Consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine specialising in trauma, vascular and amputee rehabilitation. He is also Clinical Specialty Lead for the Bristol Centre for Enablement. With an academic background in bioengineering and medical law, as well as previous higher surgical training in trauma & orthopaedics, Dr Guo has a keen interest in the biomechanical and medico-legal aspects of musculoskeletal trauma and amputations, and their effects on clinical practice and rehabilitation.

 Network Governance Lead: Dr Nick Blundell

Dr Nick Blundell is a Consultant in Emergency Medicine at Southmead Hospital in Bristol and Quality Governance Lead for the Severn Major Trauma Network. He completed his medical degree in Cardiff, and his Emergency Medicine training in South Wales, Sydney and Severn. He has a MSc in Trauma Sciences and a PGC in medical education / simulation.

 Network Training Lead: Dr Fran Verey

Dr Fran Verey is the training lead for the Severn Major Trauma Network.  She is a Consultant in Emergency Medicine and Trauma Team Leader at North Bristol NHS Trust.  She oversees, develops, and delivers training in all aspects of trauma care along the patient’s journey from arrival to discharge, across all healthcare groups.  She has developed a specialist interest in older trauma and the difficulties it poses compared to more traditional trauma; and through this she has developed an older trauma specific study day. Her aim is to ensure trauma training is accessible to all health care professional groups, as well as develop training specifically to get junior doctors interested in trauma training. Fran is keen on working on inter specialty training in trauma with the aim of setting up more training in which ED and surgical specialities train together

Network Research Lead: Dr Philip Braude

Philip Braude was appointed as a consultant geriatrician to North Bristol Trust in 2019. He setup the CLARITY group in 2021. He has been awarded a Bristol Research Charity Fellowship in 2021 to undertake the VIGIL (Video Intervention In Geriatric cLinic) study. He is undertaking a DPhil in frailty and trauma at the University of the West of England.

Network Admin Team

Network Support Coordinator – Dan Fletcher-Walliss

The Severn Major Trauma Network has worked closely with fellow networks in the NHS England (South) region and with colleagues in Specialised Commissioning to continue a programme of improvement for Major Trauma.

The Network has the following boards/groups which meet regularly:

• Network Board
• Network Advisory Group (All Lead Clinicians)
• Network Rehabilitation Co-ordinators Group
• NMTR Coordinator Group (Peninsula/Severn Trauma Networks)
• MT M&M (morbidity and mortality) Meeting

The Network Board and MT M&M meets quarterly, with clinical case reviews monthly and Advisory Group meets every 6 weeks. The annual work programme and key quality outcome data are presented and discussed with agreed actions. These are shared with NHSE and ICB managers. Additional specialist and subgroup meetings are convened throughout the year.

There is also an annual paediatric stakeholder meetings held collaboratively between Peninsula and Severn Trauma Networks, with the paediatric MTC, Bristol.