Abstract P-064: NOT JUST A TEAM LEADER - CREATING THE IDEAL TRANSPORT TEAM

Abstract

Aims & Objectives: To improve the training of team leaders on a regional retrieval team to better support their nursing colleagues. Methods KIDS/NTS is a regionalized, paediatric and neonatal intensive care retrieval and transport service based in the UK Midlands, transporting around 1,800 infants/children annually. KIDS (paediatric team) train 10–15 doctors and 8–10 nurses annually to transport critically ill infants/children. The team is usually comprised of a team leader (Consultant/Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP)/Registrar/Clinical Fellow), a nurse and an ambulance technician. Anecdotal feedback from KIDS nurses suggested differences in team leadership depending on the discipline of the team leader affected their stress levels. To understand this, all KIDS/NTS nurses (n=25) were surveyed (Figure 1).Results Response rate was 48%. The discipline of the team leader was identified in 66.7% of responses as affecting stress levels with 58.3% preferring ANP’s as team leader. Familiarity with the nurse’s role was identified as a reason for this preference in 91.7% of respondents, as was transport experience for 75% of respondents. 66.7% felt that spending more time with retrieval nurses and 58.3% a more structured supernumerary period would be beneficial to training. Lack of familiarity with the ‘transport process’ was also cited as a stressor. Conclusions A key factor to stress levels experienced by nurses on the team was shown to be familiarity of the nurse’s roles. The survey findings have been used to redesign training to narrow the gap between disciplines. All new team leaders are now trained by core ANP’s and time is allocated to work alongside retrieval nurses.