The landing pad at State-University hospital was hot, the air-ambulance had only just landed and already members of the trauma team were running towards it. The patient was unloaded before the blades had stopped turning and quickly wheeled towards the trauma entrance, one paramedic was standing on the trolley performing CPR whist it was in motion. The trolley was wheeled into a trauma bay; the CPR had stopped as their heart was beating again.

"Quiet for handover" called out Dr Armand, one of hospitals senior trauma neurosurgeons. The trauma team quietened down as paramedic spoke

"Female, early twenties, victim of assault she was hit twice over the head with a hard blunt object, closed head injury, possible depressed skull fracture, previous hospital found signs of both bleeding and swelling in the brain, unstable life signs we had to take control of her breathing during the flight, heart has briefly stopped twice in transit, BP 80 over 60, sats are 100%, GCS of 5."

Dr Armand nodded in acknowledgement, "OK, let's get her to CT and we'd better get a theatre ready just in case" the trauma team wheeled the patient towards the CT room as the paramedic went to the reception desk to book the patient in.

"What's her name?" asked the receptionist.

The paramedic looked at his notes then replied "Dinkley, Velma Dinkley."

(Author's note - GCS stands for Glasgow Coma Scale. GCS gives a way of recording the conscious state of a person. The lowest possible GCS is 3 (deep coma or death), while the highest is 15 (fully awake person).