Critical Care, incorporating both high dependency and intensive care, is a vital hospital service providing specialised care for patients who are, or who are at risk of becoming seriously ill. These patients require much closer observation and clinical interventions that cannot be provided on a standard hospital ward. People can be admitted to critical care as a result of major trauma following road traffic accidents, as a result of a surgical complication or as an acute medical emergency. Critical illness is often sudden, unexpected and potentially life-threatening. It requires the skills and knowledge of the critical care team to support and manage these desperately sick patients.

Critical Care is not without risk however solid engagement with clinicians at all sites provides collaborative opportunities for the sharing of best practices. Our aim is to 'ensure every patient requiring critical care receives exceptional, safe & effective high quality care.' This is achieved through robust quality assurance processes & collaborative working across all stakeholder sites in Greater Manchester