Key points
- Agree the update points in advance, and who will call you at each one.
- Keep identity documents and phones charged and with you.
- Timings can move for clinical or operational reasons. A good coordinator tells you why.
Transfer day is stressful even when everything has been planned well. Knowing the sequence of events, and when you will hear from someone, makes a real difference. This guide describes a typical day for a hospital-to-hospital air transfer.
The day before
- Confirm with your coordinator the planned time the medical team will arrive at the ward.
- Confirm who from the family will be at the sending hospital, and whether anyone is travelling with the patient.
- Pack the patient’s essentials, identity documents and any personal medicines in one bag.
- If a relative is travelling separately to the receiving city, confirm their travel and how they will reach the hospital.
At the sending hospital
The transfer medical team arrives at the ward, receives a handover from the ward doctors and nurses, and checks the documents. They prepare the patient for the journey and move them to the ambulance. This can take longer than families expect, because it is done carefully.
On the way
The ground ambulance takes the patient to the airport, and the medical team stays with them throughout. If a family member is travelling on the aircraft, they will be told where to be and when. Read ground ambulances and airport coordination for this part of the journey.
Updates you should expect
Agree these points with your coordinator in advance:
- The patient has left the ward.
- The aircraft has departed.
- The aircraft has landed.
- The patient has arrived at the receiving hospital and the handover is complete.
If a timing changes, the coordinator should tell you what has changed and why.
At the receiving hospital
The transfer medical team hands over to the receiving team, with written notes. Once the handover is complete, the receiving hospital is responsible for the patient’s care. The family should know the name of the ward and who to contact there.
If something changes
Departure can move because the patient’s condition changes, the receiving bed is delayed, the weather changes or an airport restricts movements. These are safety decisions. The how a transfer works guide explains why each step waits for the one before it.
If you are accompanying a patient for treatment rather than a transfer, see a guide for attendants.
