History of the Newborn Transport Team

Neonatal Transport was one of the key issues in the Department of Health report of the Neonatal Intensive Care Services Review Group (2003).  The report also recommended the establishment of Neonatal Networks of which there are three in the West Midlands.  In June 2006, two of the networks, South West Midlands (SWM) and the Staffordshire, Shropshire and Black Country (SSBC) decided to work together to establish a Neonatal Transfer Service.

The aim of the service is to organise and perform a safe and timely transfer of ill newborn infants to units which can provide the type of care the baby requires, be it neonatal intensive care or other specialist services.  There are thirteen neonatal units in both networks and infants are also transferred to Birmingham Children’s Hospital.  The thirteen neonatal units are designated as follows: four level 1, five level 2 and four level 3 units.

Northern Newborn Network (SSBCNN)	Southern Newborn Network (SWMNN)
Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (2)* New Cross Hospital, Wolverhampton (3) University Hospital of North Staffordshire (3) Manor Hospital, Walsall (2) Staffordshire General Hospital (1) Russells Hall Hospital, Dudley (2)	Good Hope Hospital (1) City Hospital (2) Hereford County Hospital (1) Alexandra Hospital, Redditch (1) Birmingham Women’s Hospital (3) Worcestershire Royal Hospital (2) Heart of England Hospitals (3) Birmingham Children’s Hospital

*designated level in brackets

The area covered by the Neonatal Transfer Service (NTS) extends from Stoke-on-Trent in the north to Hereford in the south, from Shrewsbury in the west to Sutton Coldfield in the east.  The region accounts for a population of 5,267,300. (National Statistic 2001) with a total live births of 37,000.

This page was last modified on Mon Apr 23 2012