The South Thames Retrieval Service (STRS) is an intensive care service, transporting critically ill children from local hospitals to intensive care units (PICUs).

The team is made up of doctors and nurses from the Evelina London Children's Hospital Intensive Care Unity who are specially trained in stabilising and transferring critically ill children. The team give advice to staff at district general hospitals before their arrival to transfer a child. They then provide intensive care to the child before they leave hospital and while travelling in the ambulance, helicopter or plane. They hand over patient care once the child is settled into a PICU.

Two teams are available to transport children 24 hours, 7 days a week. When they are not transporting children, the team are working within the intensive care unit.

STRS parents will tell you they never forget the day their child was retrieved or the team that came. Quite simply, the South Thames Retrieval Service is an incredible service. THIS is what a STRS experience is like. Here is Arthur's retrieval story: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy_IaxpUcso

Although the STRS receive central funding, they rely on charity donations to finance specialist, cutting edge equipment which really makes a difference. 

Ultimately the goal is to fundraise the £40,000 still needed to finance the purchase and implementation of a specialist App based referral system so more acutely sick children can access world class paediatric intensive care quicker.  The App based system would move the current telephone based referral process to the gold standard of intensive care retrieval, enabling the STRS to get ICU treatment to children across the South East even quicker.  Clinicians locally would be able to transfer medical information on the child quicker and in a secure way. Ultimately it's going to save more time and therefore more lives.

In Summer 2021 a team of 10 STRS front line medics are taking on the English Channel! The will swim it with the aim of raising £20,000. So, the goal of the STRS Supporters is to fundraise £20,000 to match that! Together, it would raise enough money to make the dream of the electronic referral system a reality....

So, let’s help this amazing service and let them know they are appreciated and valued. Please donate & then spread the word or share your story of the STRS.