CAT Air Ambulance

Children's Acute Transport Service, known as CATS, is a paediatric critical care transport team based in London. The team moves critically ill children from local hospitals to specialist paediatric intensive care units. Most hospitals in the UK do not have a specialist paediatric intensive care unit. CATS takes the expertise of a paediatric intensive care unit directly to the child's bedside. This allows specialist treatment to begin before the child reaches the hospital with the intensive care unit.

The service began in 2001 as a collaboration between paediatric intensive care units in North London. It is now a stand alone service. CATS serves around 20 hospitals across North Thames and Hertfordshire. The team moves approximately 1200 critically ill children each year. Nationally, about 6000 critically ill children are transported each year by services similar to CATS. CATS is one of about 11 similar services across the country.

CATS transports children by land and by air. The team includes specialist doctors, nurses, ambulance technicians and administrators. They work together to start intensive care at the local hospital. Then they move the child safely to a paediatric intensive care unit where intensive care can continue. The service works in partnership with The National Children's Air Ambulance. This partnership reduces journey times for sick children who must travel long distances to reach specialist care.

The service provides expert advice and educational support to hospitals in the region. It offers training courses, study days and clinical guidelines for doctors and nurses. The website hosts instructional videos and webinars for medical staff. It also provides an electronic drug calculator and an emergency intubation checklist for clinical use. These tools help hospital staff prepare for critical procedures and patient transfers.

CATS maintains pages for research and audit. It publishes annual reports on its work and outcomes. Families can read an information booklet and find details about specific paediatric intensive care units. The site also includes a family feedback page. Professionals can access referral forms and standard operating guidance through the website. The service also accepts international and private referrals.

Services

• Paediatric critical care transport by air
• Paediatric critical care transport by land
• Hospital expert advice and outreach
• Education and training
• Clinical guidelines
• Research and audit
• Family information and support
• Professional referral service
• International and private referrals