The John Radcliffe hospital's leading trauma unit has been given a cash boost to improve its already pioneering practices, writes Victoria Owen.

Millionaire philanthropist Michael Kadoorie has ploughed 1.2m into a new building at the Oxford site, where researchers will look at emergency medicine.

Consultant orthopaedic trauma surgeon Keith Willett will head the unit, which will house five researchers, also funded by Mr Kadoorie.

Building will start in February and the centre will be a lasting memory of the Hong Kong businessman's gratitude to Mr Willett, who - along with the JR trauma team - treated Mr Kadoorie after he was seriously injured in a car accident last summer.

Trauma care in Oxford is already recognised as the best in the area and the JR is a regional centre, treating accident victims from neighbouring counties.

Mr Willett has also set up a special accident prevention programme for children, called Imps - Injury Minimization Programme for Schools - which is now being translated for children in Hong Kong.

He said: "It's uncanny really, but my opposite number in Hong Kong has the same interest in accident prevention, so some of Mr Kadoorie's donation is being used to send our Imps programme out there."

At the moment, 2,000 Oxfordshire primary school pupils are introduced to the Imps course every year. They learn about resuscitation techniques, first aid and how to prevent injuries.