Availability of orthopaedic trauma lists in the United Kingdom

National guidelines recommend that hospitals dealing with acute orthopaedic trauma should have daily, consultant led trauma lists, performed in dedicated trauma theatres. This study examined the availability and organisation of orthopaedic trauma lists in the United Kingdom using a postal survey. Of 228 responding hospitals, only 29% had daily trauma lists. In 17%, elective cases were cancelled to accommodate trauma whilst up to 20% of hospitals had a high proportion of their trauma lists not being consultant led. Twenty-one percent of responding hospitals did not have a dedicated trauma theatre. Our results suggest that most units have a long way to go in meeting national standards regarding the availability of orthopaedic trauma lists.