The hospital response to the Hillsborough tragedy

Abstract

A t 1500 on 15 April 1989, play commenced in the 1989 FA cup semifinal between Liverpool FC and Nottingham Forest FC. The venue was Hillsborough, Sheffield. Approximately 50 000 supporters had com e to watch the match. A large gate was opened to allow latecomers into the stadium. A large number of supporters entered through this gate and onto terraces which were already overcrowded. There was no escape from the terraces due to a large crowd-control wire fence at the front of the terrace. There was a large crush of people and m ost of the deaths and serious injuries were caused by traumatic asphyxia. At 1506 play was abandoned. A t first there appeared to be som e crowd trouble but no one realized that they were witnessing the worst disaster at a sporting event in the United Kingdom. The Northern General Hospital and the Royal Hal­ lamshire Hospitals both implemented their major disaster plans. As the Northern General Hospital was closest to Hillsborough it received most of the early and most seriously injured victims. A total of 159 casualties were received by the two hospitals, all but four within 90 min of the declaration of the major incident. All of the severely injured were received within 45 minutes.