In July 1991, a pilot trauma center was established in the United Kingdom as part of a government-funded evaluation of trauma services. The North Staffordshire Hospital is at the center of a trauma system that serves 2 million people. This system involves the five surrounding hospitals and the ambulance service. Key developments have been the provision of a consultant trauma team leader in the center 24 hours a day, closer networking of all the hospitals, and an expansion of the paramedic training program. Two comparator sites have been identified and are also being studied. The results of this three-year experiment are being evaluated independently and by the trauma research group of Keele University. Whatever the outcome, the project will have a significant influence on the future development of trauma care in the United Kingdom.