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Parental Accounts of Infant Retrieval Project

Our aim is to improve the emergency transfer of very ill babies by the NETS WA team such that it better supports parents and enhances infants’ recovery and long-term outcomes.

Medical infant retrieval in WA

The Newborn Emergency Transport Service of Western Australia (NETS WA), supported by St John Ambulance and the Royal Flying Doctor Service, is responsible for attending to and transferring sick infants across a region spanning 2.6 million km2 and distances up to 2,500km for care at specialist perinatal (King Edward Memorial Hospital) and neonatal (Perth Children’s Hospital) units in Perth. An estimated 1300 infants need emergency transport with the NETS team yearly.

During transport, parental separation is not uncommon for infants requiring neonatal intensive care after birth. While their primary patient is the infant, the transport period can be distressing for the family, especially in circumstances that require parent separation and/or involve transporting the infant far from home.

Effect of separation on parents

When infants require emergency transport for intensive care, parents are often separated from their newborns, an experience that can be deeply distressing. This separation occurs during an important bonding period, which plays a role in promoting emotional connection and long-term health outcomes.

Research shows that:

  • Physical closeness helps parents feel connected and supports psychological bonding.
  • Parental presence can reduce infant stress and pain.
  • Separation and medical emergencies can lead to lasting mental health challenges for parents, including PTSD, anxiety, and depression.
  • These experiences may also affect the child’s cognitive, emotional, and social development over time.

Project goals

Our aim is to improve the emergency transfer of very ill babies by the NETS WA team to better support parents and enhance infants’ recovery and long-term health outcomes.

We plan to address this aim through three research questions:

  1. What are the parent’s experiences of NETS WA retrieving their newborn for emergency transport for further medical care? 
  2. What are ways the NETS WA team can improve the service based on the perspectives of parents who have recently used the service?
  3. Based on this input, what general principles can we distil to guide emergency transportation services for very ill babies in WA, and beyond?

Please click the link on the left to check your eligibility and register your interest for the PAIRS project.

The project is planned to commence in the first-half of 2026.

Participation involves completing a short survey and a recorded interview with a member of The Kids research team.

This project is a collaboration between Healing Kids, Healing Families and NETS WA, supported by a Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation grant.

Project team members: Jeneva Ohan, Michael English, Helen Milroy, Jonathan Davis (Consultant Neonatologist; NETS WA), Alexander Wilson (Consultant Neonatologist; NETS WA).