The state of paediatric intensive care retrieval in Britain

Abstract

Paediatric intensive care (PIC) services have been centralised to a significant extent in Britain in the past two decades. As part of centralisation, PIC retrieval teams were developed to transport critically ill children from district general hospitals to regional paediatric intensive care units. This review aims to summarise the current state of retrieval in Britain, with reference to the past and possible directions for the future. While significant progress has been achieved, and PIC retrieval has now become a clinical service in its own right, the coming years present unique opportunities as well as challenges for the specialty.