The investment, which is part of a two-year pilot, will see the introduction of psychology teams at each of London's four major trauma centres: King's College Hospital, The Royal London Hospital, St George's Hospital and St Mary's Hospital.

Dr Idit Albert, consultant clinical psychologist and clinical lead for the London Major Trauma Psychology Network, NHS London Violence Reduction Programme, NHS England and West London NHS Trust, said: ‘I'm really pleased that we now have full psychological support teams in place at all four of London's major trauma centres. This is a real step forward in ensuring equity in high-quality physical and psychological trauma care and is good news for patients and staff alike.'

Prior to launching the pilot, the NHS estimated it would help around 2,000 patients every year and support the wellbeing of staff working in major trauma. In its first full year of operation, the pilot has supported over 5,000 patients.

Around 40% of people who undergo major traumatic injury report serious, long-term psychological disorders with up to 35% not returning to work. The pilot aims to change this through early identification and prevention, ensuring major trauma patients get the psychological support they need at the right time.

The teams also enable psychological support to be quickly stepped up in the event of a major incident, such as a natural disaster, significant accident or terrorist attack – and will support patients, their families and staff in major trauma teams as well as start the coordination of psychological support for the wider community.

The four major trauma centres are part of a network of hospitals, air ambulances and paramedics that provide a safety net for 10m people in London and treat over 12,000 people with the most serious injuries each year.