Baby's Life Saved By A Long Journey, London

Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 03 Dec 2008 - 8:00 PST

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Adad whose plucky baby son had a narrow escape and was helped by the London Neonatal Transfer Service based at The Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, east London, has praised the transport team for its professionalism and expert care.

Against the odds and contrary to local doctors' fears that the sick baby's chances were slim and he may not survive a long road journey from Dorset to London, the tiny tot was delivered safely and in a stable condition by one of the service's specially equipped ambulances.

Little Arthur Payne had been suffering badly from a common gastrointestinal emergency primarily affecting premature newborns, Necrotising Enterocolitis where symptoms and signs include those of general infection, as well as a distended abdomen and an inability to tolerate milkweeds.

The London Neonatal Transfer Service's ambulance that came to collect Arthur is designed and equipped to provide intensive care for sick newborn babies. Arthur was placed in an incubator to keep him warm and had his heart rate, breathing and blood pressure monitored throughout the journey by a specially trained and highly skilled team consisting of a doctor, a senior neonatal nurse and paramedic who also helped stabilise him.

Parents Guy and Aileen Payne of Bournemouth, Dorset were told by doctors at Poole Maternity Hospital their baby boy Arthur's chances of survival were slim without specialist treatment. Luckily a bed was found for him at University Hospital Lewisham in South London and the decision was taken to transport him. That's when the emergency transfer team swung into action.

A neonatal consultant at Lewisham who prepared Arthur for surgery that day told the baby's parents that the transfer team had done a "fantastic job "transporting and caring for the baby.

Mr and Mrs Payne were so pleased and relieved to have their little bundle of joy brought back to health they wrote a heartfelt thank-you letter to the baby transfer team at The Royal London: "My wife and I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to your wonderful team as we have our precious son. Many, many thanks for the wonderful work you all do."

The London arm of the London, Kent, Surrey and Sussex Neonatal Transfer Service has just celebrated its fifth birthday. It helps save the lives of sick and premature babies night and day every day of the year, by transferring them to specialist hospitals for surgery or a higher level of neonatal intensive care. Its staff of 18 includes two consultants, a matron, neonatal nurses, dedicated paramedics, an equipment technician and an administrator.

From its base at The Royal London Hospital, its three ambulances have dealt with over 3,000 emergency transfers and over 600 elective transfers of babies, including around 500 babies who have been treated in The Royal London Hospital's specialist Neonatal Unit, whose consultants also provide the team with on-call cover.

State-of-the-art ambulances contain incubators, ventilators, neonatal monitors and gas supplies together with other specialist equipment.

Dr Ozy Okonkwo, a consultant for the Transfer Service says: "This Trust can rightly feel proud of this dedicated neonatal transfer service which is one of the most successful in the UK. Few people realise we cover such a wide area stretching over four big population centres. Without the hard work of those who helped us get off the ground five years ago we wouldn't be here now."

Note

- Photographs of plucky baby Arthur with his proud parents are available on line from the Press Office at Barts and The London NHS Trust.

- The Neonatal Transfer initiative was developed jointly in London, Kent, Surrey and Sussex and involves many acute hospital trusts and two ambulance service trusts working together.

- The service offers a single point of contact for finding appropriate cots and booking transport for babies. When it was launched in 2003, it was the first time in the UK that ambulance staff was allocated full-time to such a service.

- A neonate is a term for a baby of less than 28 days of age. Paediatric teams generally transport children above this age.

- There are an average of seven neonatal transfers a day in London, Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

- Neonatology is a highly specialized part of Paediatric medicine, which has made major advances over the past three decades.

- Barts and The London is one of Britain's top teaching hospital trusts. Our mission is literally to bring excellence to life - to give patients the best possible care so that they can live better, fuller, longer lives.

- Our world-renowned hospitals - St Bartholomew's (Barts) in the City, The Royal London in Whitechapel and The London Chest in Bethnal Green - have made and continue to make an outstanding contribution to modern medicine. Read more about our full portfolio of services at http://www.bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk

Bartsand The London