A new trauma institute will be established to train medical professionals in caring for children after major incidents, inspired by lessons learnt during the Bondi Beach terror attack.
The New South Wales Institute for Paediatric Trauma will see paediatric surgeons, nurses and other specialists share their knowledge with the rest of the country.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Matilda’s legacy inspires new paediatric trauma institute
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For the first time, the brave paediatric surgeons who operated trying to save young Matilda’s life have spoken publicly about that devastating December night.
Guy Henry, a paediatric surgeon, said the experience was difficult for all staff members.
“What was incredibly special were the staff who came in who were not on duty,” he said.
Henry is now set to use the lessons his team learnt to train others through the new institute.
“Children are not small adults,” he said. “They have different physiology, they have different anatomy and so that has to be taken into account.”
The institute will run mass casualty simulations and expert training sessions, improving responses and treatment for children involved in mass trauma events, no matter where they are in the state.
Its creation was also inspired by the response to the stabbing attack at Bondi Junction a year earlier, when medical teams treated the nine-month-old daughter of victim Ashlee Good for serious stab wounds.
The institute will be based at the Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick and is set to be operational within the next six months, funded by both the state government and donations from the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation.
Health Minister Ryan Park said the institute would help children across NSW and Australia.