FAQs

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions regarding the Acute Neonatal Transport Service:-

What is ANTS?

ANTS stands for Acute Neonatal Transport Service, the regional neonatal transport service for the east of England. It is based at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.

What services does ANTS provide?

ANTS provides a cot finding service (Cot bureau) for exutero as well as inutero transfers, a team for emergency transfers and a team for routine transfers.

Who is this service aimed at?

The service is aimed at the newborn infant population of the east of England. ANTS transfers neonatal infants out of the 18 NICUs in the region. In addition, the team for routine transfers also repatriates newborn babies from adjacent regions back into their nearest hospital within Eastern region.


Is this a 24 hour service?

No. ANTS is not a 24 hour service. Hours of its various services are as follows:

What is an "Emergency transfer team"?

ANTS emergency transfer team consists of a doctor or nurse practitioner experienced in neonatal intensive care and neonatal transport, a nurse with similar experience, an ambulance driver, a dedicated neonatal ambulance and all the equipment needed for a safe transfer. One such team is required per infant.

What type of babies are transferred by the emergency transfer team?

The emergency transfer team is involved with transfers of sick / unstable infants or occasionally with transfers of stable infants if such transfers are considered time crucial or in order to release capacity in a tertiary NICU.

What is a "Routine transfer team"?

ANTS routine transfer team comprises of an experienced transport nurse, an ambulance driver, a dedicated neonatal ambulance, as well as all the equipment necessary for carrying out such a transfer safely. One such team is required per infant.

What type of babies are transferred by the routine transfer team?

The routine transfer team is involved with repatriation of stable infants to their local hospitals for continuing care, after recovering from their illness. This team also undertakes planned transfers of stable infants who require further treatment or outpatient assessment at other hospitals.

Who determines whether an infant requires an emergency or a routine transfer team?

The referring clinician is best placed to make this decision. The choice of the appropriate team can be reviewed after discussion with ANTS, often based on the acceptance criteria for the routine transfer team.

Who should refer a patient to ANTS?

Emergency referrals should only be made by a specialist registrar or a consultant responsible for the patient's ongoing care at the referring unit.

Routine referrals should be made by a nurse involved with the infant's ongoing care.

ANTS does not accept referrals from medical or nursing staff from the admitting unit or any member of clerical or ancillary staff.

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions regarding the Acute Neonatal Transport Service:-

Can the emergency team transfer infants requiring an out patient appointment or assessment?

No. ANTS does not undertake such transfers using the emergency team. However, it does offer the services of its routine transfer team for such journeys, if the patient meets the criteria set for the routine transfer team.

Contacting the Transport Team:

What information will be required by ANTS at the time of referral?

Please fill in the ANTS transfer request sheet before making a request for retrieval. We will ask for your name and designation, name of the referring consultant, patient and maternal demographics, history of pregnancy, labour and delivery, relevant resuscitation details and clinical history including ongoing management and results of relevant investigations.

Will the transport team provide advice?

The transport team will offer advice regarding stabilisation and immediate management of the baby. All conversations regarding any transfer matter are electronically recorded. The advice is given in a spirit of collaboration and is not meant to question or undermine the management plan of the referring team.

How soon will the transport team arrive?

Our target is to have an emergency team on its way to you within 30 minutes. We will confirm our departure from base and keep in close contact with your team by telephone, whilst en route. The time of arrival on your unit will depend on:

What can I do while waiting for the transport team to arrive?

During our discussions at the time of referral, the transport team consultant or fellow will assist you with the formulation of a treatment plan, as required. The referring unit and the transport team should maintain regular contact to provide updates on the patient's changing clinical status. It would also be useful during this stage to keep the parents abreast of the transfer arrangements and prepare for the arrival of the transport team, for instance making the local hospital security staff aware of the arriving ambulance and the team.

What should the referring hospital provide for the team?

It would be useful if the following were available on arrival:

1. Parents abreast of the situation
2. Copies of all relevant charts and results
3. Originals or copies of relevant x-rays
4. Maternal blood for cross matching
5. The team may request a further x-ray or blood gas analyses before leaving your hospital

What will the transport team do on the referring unit?

The transport team will introduce themselves and request an update since the last time of contact. We will then collaborate with your own staff and assess the baby's need for further treatment prior to transfer. Any procedures required will then be undertaken and the baby will be connected to the appropriate respiratory support and transport monitor. Our team may request investigations such as blood gas analyses or x-rays prior to departure. It may save time if your radiographer and laboratory staff know ahead of time that such investigations may well be required. The transport team will discuss the status and treatment of the child with the child's parents or carers, and will answer any questions they may have. In the interests of safety, the child's parents must travel independently and we ask your unit to assist in making their travel plans. There are facilities for parents to stay close to their baby at some of the admitting NICUs. Our team will give parents information about the relevant neonatal intensive care units including details of telephone numbers, location, parking and public transport links.


Where will the transport team take my patient?

Your patient's admitting unit will depend on the following factors:

1. Your patient's clinical needs
2. Availability of appropriate cots
3. Existing referral preferences of your unit
4. Distances & transfer times involved

The transport team will aim to transfer your patient to a suitable admitting unit of your preference and will inform you of the admitting unit before transferring your patient.

Who should I contact for an update about my patient after transfer?

The transport team will be happy to provide feedback about the transfer process. Please contact the admitting unit for an update on the clinical status of your patient.

How does ANTS manage transfer calls?

Please click here to see our current call triage algorithm.