Patients at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital trauma unit have some of the best chances of survival in the country, a new report has revealed.

The study, by the Trauma Audit and Research Network, based at Manchester University, shows that the Headington hospital has the second-highest trauma patient survival rate in England and Wales.

The unit deals with people who have suffered serious injuries in incidents such as car crashes and industrial accidents. Prof Keith Willett, the JR's consultant trauma surgeon, welcomed the findings.

He said: "We're delighted to see that the study confirms what we already knew about the outstanding quality of the trauma team.

"This hospital deals with some of the most complex injuries.

"It's thanks to the skill of the whole team, and other departments around the hospital who look after these patients, that we have such high survival rates in this field."

The report worked out the average survival rate figure for trauma patients in England and Wales and then compared each hospital's performance. It showed that the survival rate for the JR was nearly three per cent higher than the average.

The hospital treated 1,019 trauma patients between January 1, 2003, and December 31 last year. The number of survivors was 942, compared with an expected survival rate of 906, meaning there were 2.9 extra survivors for every 100 patients treated there.

The top five hospitals, based on survival rates, were St James' University Hospital, in Leeds; the JR; Morriston Hospital in Swansea; the Royal London; and Leeds General Infirmary.

Prof Willett said: "The treatment of patients with major injuries involves a complex chain involving care, day or night, from the ambulance paramedic at the scene, through the emergency department, intensive care and our specialist surgery units."

Trauma care is highly specialised, and the JR's unit is the only one in the UK with a consultant surgeon on call 24 hours a day.

DIFFERENT CHALLENGES: The trauma unit at the JR deals with the most severe, life-threatening injuries, writes Chris Buratta.

Cases account for 10 per cent of the hospital's patients - about 300 each year. Many have serious head and spinal injuries.

Prof Keith Willett has been a consultant trauma surgeon at the hospital for 15 years.

He said: "It's completely unpredictable - you have no idea from one moment to the next what is going to present to you, but the sort of people in this job relish stress-response type work.

"It's the professionalism of our job, the stress isn't harmful. It's only harmful if you cannot manage it."

But Prof Willett said dealing with the 'front-end' pressure of working in life-or-death situations was only half of the job. He said: "There is the patient coming to terms with their injuries and the major change in terms of the direction of their lives."

He said the vast majority of trauma patients were under 45 and the extent of their injuries could often turn their life upside down.

He added: "The family and the patient coming to terms with that puts a very large stress on the supporting staff."