Embrace, the highly specialist, round-the-clock transport service for critically ill infants and children in Yorkshire and the Humber, has opened its doors to new premises.
The service, part of Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, first began its work in December 2009. 15 years on, another December milestone took place as colleagues and partners gathered to celebrate the expansion of the team, reflect on the past 15 years and formally open its new and improved facilities.
Each year the specialist teams of nurses, advanced nurse practitioners, doctors and drivers, supported by a dedicated administration team, transfer around 2,000 infants and children by road ambulances, helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. They transfer children who either need urgent care in another hospital in the region, or further afield, or need to be returned back safely with the support of specialist staff to their home or another hospital.
Cath Harrison, Lead Consultant for Embrace, said:
“When Embrace started there were only 22 of us in the team! Together, we created the first combined neonatal and paediatric transport service in the country. Now, we have over 80 people in the service with a national and international reputation for the work we do.
“It’s been a true collaborative effort getting us to where we are now. The new base will help Embrace stay at the forefront of neonatal and paediatric transport, and continue to deliver outstanding, high quality care to patients and their families.”
Embrace support families across South Yorkshire and beyond, including Sara and Mudasar from Rotherham. In April last year, when Sara was 28 weeks pregnant, the couple took a trip to visit family in Surrey. They didn’t expect their trip to last as long as it did – or end with a helicopter flight.
Whilst staying with relatives, Sara experienced pre-eclampsia. She was quickly admitted to East Surrey Hospital, where baby Ibrahim was born. After being transferred to another local hospital, St Peter’s, it was decided that it was best for the whole family for Sara and Ibrahim to be transferred back to their local hospital in Rotherham to continue receiving care closer to home. However, as that journey would have taken four hours by road, consultants made the decision that Sara and Ibrahim would take to the skies in a helicopter as part of a joint effort from Embrace and the Children’s Air Ambulance (TCAA).
The involvement of Embrace alongside TCAA made the journey both shorter and safer, with the use of specialist paediatric and neonatal knowledge accumulated from transferring thousands of patients just like Ibrahim over the last 15 years. Sara said: “We always knew that we would need to be transported back to Rotherham, but we never expected it to happen by helicopter! We were blown away by how meticulously this was planned and how quickly it came together, it was a remarkable turnaround, and everybody involved was so accommodating.”
Sara, Mudasar and baby Ibrahim came to visit the new Embrace premises and see the incubator Ibrahim was transported in. Sara said: “The team from Embrace were amazing in making that transition as smooth as possible. Knowing that the people around you truly care about your experience made us feel at ease.”
Sara added: “Just thinking about that little boy who went on that helicopter, I would never have imagined that we would be where we are today. I don’t think we could ever explain how grateful we are for the work every single professional that we have come across from the month he was born. He is the way that he is because of every single person that was involved in his care.”
“Everything was beyond what I could have hoped for, it’s something that we’re going to carry for the rest of our lives, and we’ll be telling Ibrahim all about it as soon as we can!”
The work of Embrace is supported by a number of partners including The Children’s Hospital Charity and their arts programme Art+ who enhanced and uplifted the look at feel of the spaces in Embrace’s new home. They’ve also added artwork into the ambulances used to transport babies, children and young people. Embrace have worked in partnership with Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust (YAS) since the start of the service in 2009. The team of YAS drivers who work on the five specialist mobile intensive care ambulances, are a vital part of the service. They provide professional driving skills, including transfer under blue light exemptions, as well as assistance with preparing equipment, moving and handling and support of parents.
In this amazing new building, the team will benefit from a vastly improved designated spaces for each team, quiet room and wellbeing room, improved kitchen and rest area, designated simulation and training spaces and improved spaces for equipment.