£1 million state-of-the-art ambulance base for the North West Neonatal Transport Service has opened in Warrington and will link together over 25 hospitals to care for thousands of babies every year.
Nine-year-old Alfie cut the ribbon on the new home of Connect North West – the busiest neonatal transport service in the UK, and a service that saved Alfie’s life when he was just a day old.
In 2015, his mother Beth Haliwell and her husband were excited to welcome their baby and she was admitted to Tameside General Hospital after suffering appendicitis.
Beth said: “My appendix became infected, and I had to go into surgery. I was only 29 weeks pregnant, and I went into labour after the procedure”.
Doctors performed an emergency c-section and Alfie was born 11 weeks premature, weighing just two pounds and 15 ounces. He was taken to the neonatal unit for treatment and observation.
Due to the severity of Alfie’s condition, he needed to be transported to a different hospital that had the necessary equipment and expertise to support him.
“After my surgery, I was taken to the neo-natal intensive care unit where I met my son for the first time. He was only 24 hours old, and I was told that he had to be transferred to Royal Bolton Hospital for specialist care, while I stayed at Tameside for another week.
“The whole experience was so awful and heartbreaking – it took me a long time to recover physically and emotionally.”
Connect North West is a neonatal transportation service, ran by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, North West Neonatal Operational Delivery Network and St John’s Ambulance. Thanks to a team of highly skilled doctors, nurses and ambulance crew, premature babies are able to be safely transported from one hospital to another, connecting 25 hospitals across North West England and North Wales.
The service works by categorising hospitals from one to three based on their facilities and specialities so the healthcare team can assess which site would be most suitable for their patient. They also transport those who are ready to stay in a hospital closer to their home toward the end of their treatment.
Beth added: “As soon as I was discharged, I went to Bolton to see Alfie again. I was so worried he wouldn’t survive. The doctors took some scans which showed that he suffered a significant bleed on the brain, and he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was four days old.
“Once he was stable enough, the Connect North West team transferred him back to Tameside. It was such a lovely feeling to know he was making progress so he could come home”.
Alfie is now nine years old and as he has grown up, his mum has always praised the team of people who saved his life.
“He does have difficulties with his mobility, but he is the most kind, caring and loveliest little boy. We would always see the neo-natal ambulances when we were out and about in Greater Manchester, which would trigger lots of emotions. I wanted to be as honest as possible with him about his start in life, so I started to point to them and tell them it was his ambulance”.
This made a strong impression on Alfie as he went onto fundraise for the service. He has raised £650 in a sponsored swim and has plans in the future for a sponsored hike.
“We both went to drop off the cheque and I was finally able to thank everyone for what they did for us and my family. Everyone was so kind to us, caring and so clear in communicating in such stressful situations. We really owe them a lot”.
The need for a new site was identified by NHS England to help optimise care and save even more live. NHS Property Services (NHSPS) worked to design and fit-out a new industrial unit for Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), which now serves as a state-of-the-art ambulance base for the North West Neonatal Transport Service. NHSPS will provide full property management services at the new site, based in Warrington, ensuring that it remains a top-tier facility for the foreseeable future.
As a response to the higher activity levels and the need for improvements on the current site, NHSPS secured a lease on the new unit and provided £1 million in capital funding for the works. Working closely with MFT, NHSPS procured a design team and contractors to create a facility that meets the specific needs of the neonatal transport service.
The ground floor of the unit houses four ambulances, an incubator service/store area, a deep clean facility, an education and a quiet room. Staff-focused improvements were also made, such as a kitchen, changing rooms, showers, and toilet facilities. The site also includes full CCTV, key access control, and medical gas cylinder storage.
Throughout the project, NHSPS conducted weekly meetings with the tenants to make sure they were updated. The move to this new, purpose-built facility will allow for more efficiency and flexibility. Not only that, it will also improve ambulance response times because of the ability to immediately dispatch ambulances. The goal of these works is for the team to meet Time critical and Intensive Care Uplift response standards. The relocation will also free up valuable space at Liverpool Women’s Hospital and Saint Mary’s Hospital, further benefiting patient care in the region.
Kathy Cowell OBE DL, Chairman of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“It is a great privilege to be here to open this fantastic new facility that’ll make such a difference to families across the region.
“We are proud of the role we have played in operating Connect North West which cares for over 2000 babies every year. It was such a pleasure to meet Alfie and so moving to hear of the profound impact that this has had on his and his mother’s life.
“I wish everyone associated with Connect North West the very best as they continue their incredible work from this state-of-the-art facility.”
Mark Lloyd, Regional Capital Projects Lead at NHSPS, said:
“We’re truly proud of this partnership with MFT and the many benefits the new site will bring for patients. It’s projects such as this that underscore NHSPS’s commitment to supporting the NHS and enhancing healthcare infrastructure across the UK.”
Kimberley Salmon-Jamieson, Group Chief Nursing Officer at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“The new base for Connect North West marks excellent progression for maternity services and will be a huge benefit to over 25 hospitals across North West England and North Wales.
“It can be stressful for families when hospitals have to make the decision to transfer premature babies, and our incredible team of experts and highly specialised equipment means that this can be done in the safest way possible to support the babies and their families.
“Connect North West plays a vital role in ensuring that more people in our surrounding regions, especially those in more remote areas, can be cared for as effectively as possible”.