Groundbreaking neonatal transfer service celebrates 10 years of life-saving care
A pioneering neonatal intensive care service delivering emergency treatment to critically ill babies across the South is celebrating a decade of life-saving support.
Launched in July 2015, the Southampton Oxford Neonatal Transfer service (SONeT) provides expert neonatal care and transport to 15 hospitals across the Thames Valley and Wessex regions – spanning from Milton Keynes in the north to Chichester, Dorchester and the Isle of Wight in the south.
Staffed by a dedicated team of neonatal nurses, doctors, ambulance crews and administrators, SONeT is a joint initiative between the neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) at Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) and University Hospital Southampton (UHS).
In the last ten years, the team has transferred or supported more than 10,000 newborns and now coordinates around 1,000 patient transfers annually across hospital sites in the South.
The NICUs at both Southampton and Oxford are among the most advanced in the country. Southampton’s unit, based at the Princess Anne Hospital, is one of the UK’s largest, delivering intensive medical and surgical care to around 900 babies each year – including those requiring cardiothoracic treatment.
Oxford’s newborn care unit at the John Radcliffe Hospital offers intensive care for extremely premature babies and those with complex medical or surgical needs, alongside high and low dependency care. Together the centres form the clinical backbone of SONeT’s specialist transport network.
The service is activated as soon as a hospital suspects a baby may need specialist neonatal care. Clinicians contact the SONeT call centre for immediate advice on stabilisation and ongoing management before transfer.
Depending on clinical need, SONeT either provides guidance or arranges a full neonatal retrieval and transfer. The team acts quickly to identify and transport the patient to the nearest available appropriate-level neonatal cot. If no NICU cots are available within the Oxford, Southampton and Portsmouth network, SONeT coordinates with neighbouring services to secure space further afield.
Transfers include extremely preterm babies – from as early as 22 weeks gestation – as well as critically unwell infants and those with complex conditions requiring intensive care.
The team also facilitates expert input for highly complex cases and runs a repatriation service, returning babies to their local hospitals for ongoing neonatal care once stable.
Each neonatal transfer is carried out by a highly trained team comprising a doctor or advanced neonatal nurse practitioner (ANNP) and a dedicated neonatal transport nurse. A NICU consultant is available at all times to provide expert clinical guidance and support – and, in some cases, they also attend transfers to offer direct specialist input at the bedside.
Eleri Adams, service clinical lead for Thames Valley and Wessex, said: ““SONeT is a unique partnership between Oxford and Southampton, established in July 2015, to replace two separate neonatal transport services previously operating in Oxford (Thames Valley) and Portsmouth (Wessex).
“The aim was to create a more streamlined and enhanced service, offering a single point of contact for clinicians across the region to access specialist advice and organise transport for critically ill newborns. I am incredibly proud that our service is recognised nationally as an exemplar in neonatal transport, consistently delivering high standards of responsiveness and clinical care."
Sarah Davidson, consultant neonatologist at UHS and clinical lead for Southampton SONeT, said: “Every day, we care for some of the most vulnerable babies and support families during incredibly difficult times.
“Being part of SONeT means we can extend that specialist care beyond our hospital walls – making sure babies across the region get the intensive treatment they need, when they need it most.
She added: “Reaching this 10-year milestone is a testament to the dedication of our teams and the strength of collaboration across the network.”
To mark the milestone, staff held a small celebration to reflect on a decade of care, recognising the far-reaching impact SONeT has had on patients, families and neonatal services across the region.