Safety and governance issues for neonatal transport services

Abstract

Neonatal transport is a subspecialty within the field of neonatology. Transport services are developing rapidly in the United Kingdom (UK) with network demographics and funding patterns leading to a broad spectrum of service provision. Applying principles of clinical governance and safety to such a diverse landscape of transport services is challenging but finally receiving much needed attention. To understand issues of risk management associated with this branch of retrieval medicine one needs to look at the infrastructure of transport teams, arrangements for governance, risk identification, incident reporting, feedback and learning from experience. One also needs to look at audit processes, training, communication and ways of team working. Adherence to current recommendations for equipment and vehicle design are vital. The national picture for neonatal transport is evolving. This is an excellent time to start benchmarking and sharing best practice with a view to optimising safety and reducing risk.