Newborn Emergency Transport Service

NETS is an acronym for newborn emergency transport service or system. Such services provide critical care transport for newborn babies requiring care not available in the hospital of birth. Some provide other services; such as outreach education, return transport and coordination of high-risk obstetric transfer. Others provide transport services in older age-groups (infants and children).

NETS (Victoria) is the emergency transport service for newborn babies in the state of Victoria, parts of southern NSW and northern Tasmania. The base of operations and clinical coordination centre is at the Royal Women's Hospital in Carlton, Victoria. Outreach education services are also provided throughout the state of Victoria. All newborn patients needing intensive care in Victoria are transported to one of 4 neonatal ICUs by NETS (Victoria). Hotline 1300 137 650.

NETS (NSW) is the emergency transport service for babies (and children) for the state of NSW. Starting originally as a service for newborns in 1979, the service expanded to include infants and children in 1995 and now treats and transports older children up to the age of 16 years. The service's clinical coordination centre takes calls from physicians in any of over 240 hospitals and a number of private surgical facilities. Clinical advice is provided and critical care transport teams are launched, as required, by road or air. Newly born patients are moved to one of 10 neonatal ICUs in NSW and the ACT. Infants and children are transported to one of 3 pædiatric ICUs. Calls are also received seeking assistance with emergency transfer of high risk obstetric patients. Clinical conference call techniques are used to make decisions about these obstetric transfers. Medical retrieval teams, a fleet of purpose-built ambulances and two multi-engined, IFR helicopters are housed within the Base to provide rapid response to clinical emergencies. Hotline 1300 36 2500. In addition, satellite services operate in the ACT and the Hunter region of NSW for the transport of newborn infants by road. NETS operates a fleet of 8 ambulances from these three bases.

NETS (Virginia) is a service of the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville VA (USA). Ground and air vehicles are used to transport sick babies from 30 surrounding hospitals. For emergency transport, call the nICU on (434) 924 2335.

QNETS is a service established in Queensland, Australia in 2007 which coordinates hospital-based transport services for newborns, children and maternity cases between hospitals in the southern part of that state.

WA NETS operates in Western Australia. Previously known as WANTS (Western Australia Newborn Transport Service), the newly-named (2008) Service continues emergency transport of newborns in WA under the more generic term 'NETS'

History

NETS (Virginia) began in 1975.

NETS (Victoria) was established in 1976 after government reports showed an alarming number of deaths occurring during or after 'mercy dash' transfers of newborn infants by ambulance. The service which covers the state of Victoria in southern Australia, pioneered the provision of newborn transport in Australia.

NETS (NSW) evolved in the mid 1970's at two hospitals in Sydney and other hospitals progressively developed the capacity for newborn transport in subsequent years. In 1995 separate services based at 5 hospitals were amalgamated to create a single statewide service of NSW Health. As well as newborns, this service also transports infants and children. Since that time, all calls for emergency transport of newborn infants and children throughout NSW (from preterm infants to adolescents) are coordinated by NETS.

Procedure

NETS use conference call techniques to connect calling doctors with one or more specialists relevant to the patient's condition. In this way, all aspects of the clinical problem are canvassed in one phone call without impairing the emergency response of the transport team.

Vehicles

NETS use road ambulances specially fitted out for the task of loading and moving the heavy equipment needed for mobile intensive care. They feature easy loading systems and supplies of medical air as well as oxygen.

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  NETS Heliport in Sydney
• Road ambulances
  Road ambulances

Helicopter transport is provided by Child Flight to NETS NSW and Victorian Air Ambulance to NETS Victoria.

Fixed wing aircraft operated by the RFDS transport NETS teams and equipment over longer distances. International missions use chartered jets, Air Force transport aircraft or commercial airliners.

References

• Roy, RN 1977.NETS: a new system for neonatal transport Med. J Aust. 1977 Dec 24-31:2(26-27):855-8
• Kitchen, WH (1983).Provision of perinatal services and survival of extremely low birthweight infants in Victoria. Med. J Aust. 1983 Oct 1;2(7):314-8
• Rashid, Asrar (1999).A Regionalised Transport Service, the way ahead? Arch Dis Child 1999;80:488-492 (May)
• Abdel-Latif, M. (2006).Does rural or urban residence make a difference to neonatal outcome in premature birth? A regional study in Australia Arch. Dis. Child. Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2006; 91: F251-F256
• Broughton, SJ (2004).An illness severity score and neonatal mortality in retrieved neonates. European Journal of Pediatrics - Springer ISSN 0340-6199 (Print) 1432-1076 (Online) Volume 163, Number 7 / July, 2004
• Kei Lui. (2006).Improved Outcomes of Extremely Premature Outborn Infants: Effects of Strategic Changes in Perinatal and Retrieval Services Pediatrics 118:5 2076-2083