Telethon delivers with generous grant to help St John WA’s tiniest patients
Thanks to a Telethon grant, St John WA will be equipping ambulances with specialised neonatal tools, including axilla thermometers, warming cocoons, Neohelp suits, and preterm resuscitation masks, to better manage babies born outside of hospital who are at high risk of hypothermia in the first 12 hours of life.
This directly aligns with Telethon’s priority of improving outcomes for WA children through access to lifesaving equipment, and has been gratefully accepted by St John.
Hypothermia is the most common complication in unplanned out-of-hospital births, affecting up to 80% of newborns and contributing to hypoglycaemia, hypoxia, metabolic acidosis, and increased mortality.
Risk is highest in regional and remote areas, where access to hospital care can be delayed.
The neonatal kits will be placed in every St John WA ambulance and will bring hospital-standard neonatal care into the prehospital setting for the first time in WA, ensuring vulnerable newborns receive timely, evidence-based treatment during transport.
Early temperature monitoring and active warming will improve stabilisation, reduce complications, and support better short- and long-term outcomes.
Key outcomes (within 12 months):
- Reduced incidence of hypothermia in out-of-hospital births
- Fewer Special Care Nursery (SCN) admissions related to preventable complications
- Increased proportion of newborns arriving at hospital with stable vital signs
Outcomes will be measured using available data, and evaluated by St John WA Paramedic and Midwifery Manager Melissa Gardiner.
“Demand for this intervention is growing,” Ms Gardiner said.
“Unplanned out-of-hospital births in Australia have doubled since 2016, with similar increases in WA driven by rural service closures and rising home births.
“St John WA attended 290 births in a 12-month period, reflecting increased exposure to high-risk newborns.”
By closing the gap between hospital and prehospital care, this project will deliver measurable improvements in survival, reduce health system burden, and support healthier futures for newborns and families across metropolitan, regional, and remote Western Australia.