The Paediatric and Neonatal Decision Support and Retrieval Service (PaNDR) is a regional service that transfers babies and children between East of England hospitals and further afield if necessary.
Babies and children require transfer for many reasons including specialist emergency treatment or return transfer to their local hospital. The PaNDR team is based in Cambridge.
The reason for your baby or child’s transfer will be explained to you by the local team. They refer your baby or child to our team. We work in a supportive partnership with them.
For unwell babies and children, the team will consist of: a specialist nurse; doctor/advanced nurse practitioner; and ambulance technician. Stable babies and children can be transferred by a specialist nurse and ambulance technician. Sometimes there are additional staff for training/observation purposes.
On arrival our team will introduce themselves to you and the local team. Following a handover, they concentrate on preparing your baby or child for transfer. They will update you and answer your questions.
Your baby or child will be transferred by either the neonatal or paediatric PaNDR team. This will depend on their age and clinical situation. Both teams have a range of equipment specially designed to meet your baby or child’s needs and to make their transfer as safe as possible. These will be on a transport trolley with either an incubator or bed.
There will be monitoring equipment, infusion pumps and equipment for extra breathing support if required. There may also be some other specialist equipment. This provides an ‘intensive care bed’ on wheels and allows the team to very carefully treat and monitor your baby or child.
The Paediatric and Neonatal Decision Support and Retrieval Service (PaNDR) can usually offer a parent or guardian the opportunity to travel in the ambulance. The transport team will carefully assess your baby or child before transfer. Our priority is to safely transfer them. They make a final decision about whether you may travel with the team. If they are able, the team will invite you to accompany them in the ambulance. If you do not wish to travel in the ambulance, this is completely okay.
If you are not travelling with the team, for safety reasons we ask that you or anyone else does not attempt to follow the ambulance.
Postnatal mothers
For mothers to travel in the ambulance with their baby, they must be medically discharged from hospital. They must also be able to mobilise independently in case of emergencies.
During the journey the team observes your baby or child’s condition and will record monitor readings, usually on a laptop. If necessary the PaNDR team may ask for the ambulance to stop in a safe place. This will allow them to safely perform a more detailed assessment of your baby or child if this is needed.
The team will try to keep you updated throughout. Our priority is caring for your baby or child. If urgent treatment is needed the team will need to focus solely on your baby or child and give explanations afterwards.
Sometimes bumpy roads can trigger the equipment alarms, so please be aware these may go off during the journey. These alarms will be checked by the team and acted on if needed.
Your safety
Please follow any directions given by the PaNDR team. You must remain seated with your seat belt on at all times during the transfer. This is a legal requirement.
You may be able to sit in the back of the ambulance with your baby or child, or you may be asked to sit in the front of the ambulance with the ambulance technician.
If you are accompanying your baby or child you must be independently mobile. Please be aware you may not be able to touch your baby or child during transfer.
Travel sickness or unforeseen illness of parent/guardian
Although we try to make the journey as smooth as possible, sometimes it can feel bumpy, particularly if you travel backwards. If you normally suffer from travel sickness, you may find this becomes worse. You may be able to sit in the front of the ambulance, or you may decide (or be advised) to no longer travel with the team.
Should you become seriously unwell during the transfer, the ambulance will stop. The team will assist you where possible and if required a 999 paramedic ambulance will be asked to attend.
Luggage
Space is limited. All items have to be secured for transfer. You may bring one small bag with you that should be no larger than aeroplane hand luggage.
When we arrive at the destination hospital, we will hand over to the medical and nursing teams. We will then move your baby or child to their new cot or bed. If you have not travelled with us in the ambulance, we will phone you to let you know we have arrived safely.
Visiting hours and infection control policies in neonatal and paediatric units do vary. The aim is to always allow open visiting for parents or guardians although this is not always possible. The local team will be able to advise you on their current policies.
Once your baby or child no longer requires the specialist services of the hospital they have been transferred to, transfer back to your local hospital will be arranged. This transfer will be completed by either the PaNDR team, or by another service, depending on your baby or child’s situation.
The home hospital has to have a cot or bed available and the transfer team also needs to be available. This may lead to some delay. The hospital you are in will keep you updated.
Multiple births
When your babies are ready to move closer to home, we will always do our best to transfer them as close together as possible. However, we cannot guarantee your babies will be transferred on the same day.
For the safety of your babies we are only able to move one baby per ambulance. Emergency transfers have to take priority. This may mean that your babies have to be separated for a period of time. However, we always try our best to keep the separation period to a minimum.
The PaNDR team will let you know which hospital and hospital ward your baby or child is being transferred to. The PaNDR team will be able to give you some initial information about getting to that hospital if you are not travelling with them. There is also travel and parking information on the PaNDR website for the majority of the hospitals we visit within the East of England. Please use the link below and choose the hospital from the list provided.
Sometimes babies and children are not transferred to a hospital in the East of England. Please do ask the team involved if the hospital is not included in the link.