Thames Valley & Wessex Neonatal Transport Service

NHS England Wessex Area Team has undertaken a procurement to re-provide a Neonatal Transport Service which will operate to the NHS England Neonatal Intensive Care Transport Service Specification (2014/2015).

This dedicated 24 hour Neonatal Intensive Care Transport Service will deliver the full range of transfer responses, from emergency retrieval to repatriation across the Thames Valley and the Wessex areas of the corresponding Neonatal Network.

The service will provide the dedicated expert clinical teams and transport arrangements in line with the national specification.

Neonatal Critical Care services are organised in ‘Operational Delivery Networks’(ODNs), and aim to deliver a high quality, equitable and effective service and to achieve the highest quality outcomes for preterm and sick newborn infants and their families.

Thames Valley and Wessex Neonatal Network is an ODN comprising 15 neonatal units hosted by 13Trusts crossing two Clinical Senate areas and extending across the area's borders.

The borders extend to Milton Keynes in the north, Salisbury in the west, Chichester in the eastern border and notably the Isle of Wight in the south.

The Isle of Wight is reached only by ferry or helicopter transport.

The Neonatal Critical Care Transport Service is critical to the functioning of the Neonatal Network and is responsible for the safe and effective transfer of infants between neonatal units.

The structure of this Network has three Neonatal Intensive Care Units based in Oxford, Portsmouth and Southampton hospital provider sites, 11 Local Neonatal Units & 1 Special Care Unit enabling some provision of neonatal care closer to home.

Surgical care (general and neurosurgery) is provided in Oxford and Southampton and cardiac surgery in Southampton.