The road to recovery for premature and critically ill babies in Kent is getting better and smoother, thanks to the development of the Neonatal Transport Service (NTS). The NTS is a dedicated service which aims to find cots for newborn babies, according to clinical need, and to transport them safely between the referring and receiving units. The service is the result of the efforts of many groups and people from a diverse professional background, and is functioning as a multi - disciplinary and multi - organizational service. The need for the development of a dedicated Neonatal transport service, along with data collection, independent of the unit activity, was highlighted as a high priority by the National Expert Group of Neonatology in 2003.

This was with the development of regionalised specialist neonatal care and the introduction of Neonatal Networks. Subsequently, all users in Kent, Surrey & Sussex (KSS) and London decided to develop a transport service with the Emergency Bed Service being involved as the co-ordinating body.

The Team

Our Kent team is one of the four specialist transport teams within the Kent Surrey, Sussex and London area. We started work in January 2003 and since then we have seen much success, progress and development. The Kent team is staffed with highly-motivated, specialist-trained, experienced doctors, senior neonatal nurses and ambulance drivers, lead by a consultant Neonatologist based at Medway Maritime Hospital. The team has its own office at Medway Hospital and uses two ambulance specially designed for the transportation of neonates. The cost for these ambulances and the office renovation was partly funded by the Oliver Fisher Special Care Baby Trust. Without public donation's this would not have been possible.