Logos of the partners in this Priority Setting Partnership: the James Lind Alliance at the centre, surrounded by UK adult critical care transfer services including NHS Scotland, the Scottish Government, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, ScotSTAR, ACCOTS, ARCC Royal Surrey, NISTAR, ACCESS London, nectar North East and Cumbria, East of England Transfer, Retrieve, ACCTS Wales, and Thames Valley and Wessex Critical Care Network.

Help shape future research in adult critical care transfer services

A James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership, bringing patients, families, carers and healthcare professionals together to decide the Top 10 research priorities for adult critical care transfer in the UK.

Help shape the future of research. Every year across the UK, thousands of critically ill adults are transferred between hospitals while receiving, or needing, intensive care. We need better research to make these transfers as safe, effective and patient-centred as possible. Your views will help create a Top 10 list of research priorities for the NHS. This survey is for people who have experienced critical care transfer, their family or carers, and healthcare professionals across the UK.

Watch: a short introduction

Prefer to read?

The presentation from the video and a full written transcript are available to download:

Presentation (PDF) Presentation (PowerPoint) Transcript (Word)
What is adult critical care transfer? It happens when a patient aged 18 or over needs to move between hospitals while critically ill. This may be because they need specialist treatment not available locally, their condition has worsened and needs escalation, there is no critical care bed available, or they are being repatriated closer to home. Transfers may be urgent (time-critical) or planned and may involve ambulance or air transport teams. Sometimes a transfer referral does not proceed; understanding how and why decisions are made is also important.

Who can take part?

You can complete this survey if you are:

  • An adult (18 years or over) who has experienced critical care transfer
  • A family member or carer
  • A healthcare professional involved in critical care or transfer services
You must live or work in the UK.

Why are we doing this?

This Priority Setting Partnership aims to:

  • Identify unanswered research questions about adult critical care transfer
  • Bring patients, carers and clinicians together to prioritise them
  • Produce a Top 10 list for research funders
We are interested in clinical care, service organisation, patient and family experience, outcomes, and fairness of access.
Ready to share your questions? The survey takes about 10–15 minutes. Take the survey

The survey opens in a new tab.

New to the James Lind Alliance? Watch this short video explaining how research priorities are set.