About Us

• Mission Statement
• Why have a dedicated Newborn Emergency Transport Service?
• What services do NETS provide?
• How to contact NETS
• The staff of NETS (Victoria)

Mission Statement

Our mission is to provide

• safe transportation of sick newborn infants
• continuing education programs in perinatal care
• advice regarding care of sick newborn infants
• advice on organisation and provision of facilities for newborn care

Why have a dedicated Newborn Emergency Transport Service?

The stabilization and transfer of premature and/or sick newborn babies requires highly trained personnel with specific skills. Some of the challenges presented by this group of patients include:

• Clinical procedures in the newborn are technically demanding
• The equipment is unique to neonatal transport
• Complex transport modules require specific solutions to allow safe carriage by road, fixed wing aircraft or helicoptor.

NETS was introduced in Victoria in 1976 after the Consultative Council on Neonatal Mortality identied a high mortality in premature babies born outside hospitals with NICU facilities. Within 12 months the mortality in this group had been halved.

The incidence of morbidities such as cardiorespiratory instability, hypothermia and hypoglycaemia are reduced when stabilization and transfer are undertaken by a neonatal retrieval team.

What services does NETS provide?

The Newborn Emergency Transport Service provides:

• Clinical consultation for sick &/or premature babies
• Emergency Transport of sick newborns
• Access to emergency perinatal consultation for high risk in-utero transfers
• Bed state information (Victorian Perinatal Information Centre)
• Return Transport Service
• Elective Transport Sevice
• Continuing education in perinatal care
• NETS Publications