Established in 2006, the Neonatal Transport Group (NTG) hosts an annual conference that has grown in size each year. The aim is to provide an educational meeting to improve the care of infants who need transportation. It allows the network transport teams to come together and share best practice.

The conference is attended by anyone interested in neonatal transport including doctors, nurses, advanced neonatal nurse practitioners (ANNPs), as well as paramedics and drivers for the teams. Throughout the 2019 conference there was a focus on human factors and improving team working.

Day 1

The conference began with an update on current strategies and placement of the NTG by our Chair, Dr Cath Harrison (Embrace Transport Team). Discussions included ensuring safe practice during transport and making sure that we are considering all modalities of transport, including fixed wing and helicopter transfers for longer road distances and those across water.

Dr Allan Jackson (Scottish Specialist Transport and Retrieval, ScotSTAR) presented a summary of the data entered by all the national teams. This is a review of all the transfers that happen over the first six months of the year and looks at many factors, for example:

• have the babies been transferred withina reasonable timeframe
• temperature control
• ventilation markers
• time taken to provide therapeutic hypothermia.

Kelly Rutherford (ANNP, Southampton Oxford Neonatal Transfer service, SONeT) then facilitated a discussion about ANNPs and nurse-led transfers. It is well recognised that staffing neonatal units is challenging and it was interesting to see the variation in practice across the UK, often due to geographical logistical considerations.

The keynote lecture for day 1 was given by the Wessex Ear, Nose and Throat team regarding transfer with a difficult airway (Mrs Eleanor Spronson, Mr Kwamena Amonoo-Kupfi and Mrs Hasnaa Ismail Koch). This included a summary of the Make the Airway Safe Team (MAST) course run out of Southampton as well as case presentations on babies who have been difficult to transfer due to airway problems. Learning points included the communication required and the power of multiple specialists working together. The day closed with an evening of entertainment packed with networking opportunities.

Day 2

The second day opened with discussions about the impact of redesignation of neonatal units on transfer teams (Jenny Weddell, SONeT Nurse Coordinator).

This included consideration of education and outreach, and the various training strategies from Dr Syed Mohinuddin (London Neonatal Transfer Service, NTS) and Dr Sarah Davidson (SONeT). Discussions revolved around what should be taught and to whom, including human factors, team working and how to maintain clinical skills.

Dr James Tooley (Newborn Emergency Stabilisation and Transport team – NEST, Bristol) presented on the topic of HALT and Debriefing. HALT stands for hungry, angry, late and tired – four of the main factors that we need to be aware of as they can significantly impede performance. Debriefing after scenarios that went particularly well or that could have gone better is vital to ensure lessons are learnt but more importantly, it supports team members to continue to do their jobs.

Dr Alex Philpott (Kids Intensive Care Decision Support and Neonatal Transfer Service, KIDSNTS, West Midlands) discussed time and how to handle it. It can be easy to become involved in a transfer and not consider how quickly time moves. Ensuring staff have regular breaks and listening to their personal needs is linked to improved patient care. Team working requires understanding of each other’s strengths and needs – including when a sugar boost might be needed!

Dr John Madar (Peninsula Neonatal Transport Service) presented an informative and well-received talk on how transport has changed over the years and the lessons we have learnt together as the NTG. It is important we intermittently look back in order to see how far we have come and ensure we are continuing to improve and not reinventing the wheel.

Squadron Leader Elizabeth Paxman gave the second keynote lecture on the medical emergency response team. As a Specialist Nurse Practitioner in the Royal Air Force she talked us through the real challenges they face in developing countries – allowing us all to realise how lucky we are in the UK. It is always fascinating to hear about the differences between developing and developed countries. However, the fundamental approach remains the same and the importance of thinking outside the box to manage difficult situations is transferrable across all settings.

Getting it Right First Time (GIRFT) is a national NHS programme designed to improve quality of care. Within the last few months, neonatal units and neonatal transport teams have submitted data so that variations across the country can be explored and recommendations made.

Dr Eleri Adams (National GIRFT Lead for Neonatology, SONeT) explained the processes involved with GIRFT and what the programme hopes to achieve. This was followed by Sue Lloyd (SONeT Nurse Lead) who presented on streamlining processes and de-cluttering the kit bags. This talk highlighted that having external agencies reviewing processes can be very helpful. Also, the whole team embracing the challenges of quality improvement reaps benefits.

During the conference we had several oral abstract and poster presentations from the various national teams (see below). Other topics included reducing vibration and noise (University of Nottingham), oxygenation parameters for hypoxic respiratory failure and predicting outcome (London NTS) and the use of carbon dioxide measurement in transport (Embrace, CHANTS – Cymru inter Hospital Acute Neonatal Transfer Service – and SONeT Oxford). The lunch and coffee breaks provided opportunities for delegates to visit the poster area as well as the exhibition stands of medical companies displaying innovative products for care of neonates during transfers. Thanks are extended to the companies who supported this educational meeting through purchase of exhibition space.

The 2020 Neonatal Transport Group Conference will be held in Nottingham on 26-27 November 2020 (www.cfsevents.co.uk/healthcare-events). We look forward to welcoming our regulars and anyone interested in learning more about neonatal transport.

Download the article pdf for the list of abstracts and prize winners.