REVIEW

Optimising neonatal transfer

A C Fenton¹, A Leslie² and C H Skeoch³

¹ Newcastle Neonatal Service, Ward 35, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Queen Victoria Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4LP, UK
² Nottingham Neonatal Service, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, City Hospital, Hucknall Road, Nottingham NG5 1PB, UK
³ Neonatal Unit, Princess Royal Maternity, Glasgow G32 2ER, Scotland, UK

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr Fenton
Newcastle Neonatal Service, Ward 35, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Queen Victoria Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4LP, UK; a.c.fenton{at}ncl.ac.uk

Services for neonatal intensive care in the United Kingdom have evolved in a largely unplanned fashion. Units of different sizes provide various amounts of intensive care, and, with a few exceptions, there is little or no formal regional or subregional organisation. Chronic underresourcing and the salvaging of ever more complex infants have resulted in tertiary neonatal intensive care units operating at full capacity most of the time, a situation compounded by a chronic national shortage of nursing staff. These factors have in turn resulted in an increase in requirements for emergency perinatal transfers.

Keywords: transport; transfer; intensive care; planning

Abbreviations: CPAP, continuous positive airways pressure; iNO, inhaled nitric oxide

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