Evaluating and improving neonatal transport services

Abstract

Interfacility transport is a necessary part of hospital care. Neonates often need to access specialist input at different sites necessitating a reliable transfer process. Services have evolved significantly over the last ten years to meet this need. This followed the recognition that ad hoc arrangements were unreliable and often unsafe. Services have significantly improved during this time. Attention has been paid to training, clinical governance, disseminating best practice, setting standards, ring fenced funding and supporting parents. Transport teams have become integral to neonatal network function and quality and performance of transport services needs to be evaluated. National audit creates useful team comparisons and identifies outlier status allowing closer inspection of variations between services. Work is needed in the form of external appraisal in order to maintain service standards.

Keywords: Accreditation; Benchmarking; Interfacility transport; Neonatal; Patient care team; Patient transfer; Transport medicine.