Queensland’s first dedicated neonatal emergency vehicle launched

Critically ill and premature babies from southern Queensland and northern New South Wales will reach specialised care faster with the launch of Queensland’s first neonatal emergency vehicle, donated by national charity Running for Premature Babies. 

The acute vehicle - affectionately named ‘RUBIE’, short for ‘Retrieving Unwell Babies in Emergencies’ - will be operated by NeoRESQ, the statewide neonatal retrieval service.

NeoRESQ Medical Director Lucy Cooke said RUBIE will significantly reduce delays in retrievals, allowing teams to depart Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH) within 15 minutes instead of waiting for an ambulance for up to an hour.    

"RUBIE will improve our responsiveness to reaching critically unwell or premature babies, as we will now have a team and a vehicle here as well. It will also free up the Queensland Ambulance Service to respond to emergencies in the community,” Dr Cooke said.

In 2025, NeoRESQ retrieved 773 babies from 48 facilities. While some travelled by plane or helicopter, approximately 70% were retrieved by road.  

RBWH Foundation CEO Simone Garske said it was an honour to connect Running for Premature Babies with Australia’s largest hospital.  

“Providing our tiniest patients with the best possible start in life is the most extraordinary gift,” said Ms Garske.

“We are thrilled to have Running for Premature Babies donate this vehicle in recognition of the life-saving work of NeoRESQ and the unique service they offer.”   

Running for Premature Babies is a national charity which provides much needed neonatal equipment and research that saves the lives of sick and premature babies.  It was founded by Sophie Smith OAM in 2006 after losing her three prematurely born triplets, Henry, Jasper and Evan.      

Since then, Running for Premature Babies has directly helped over 21,000 sick and premature babies cared for in hospitals Australia-wide.  

“In our 20th year, it means so much to once again support NeoRESQ with a second Neonatal Vehicle, helping reach babies born prematurely in regional Queensland when every minute matters,” Sophie said.  

In 2020, Running for Premature Babies donated the first dedicated NeoRESQ vehicle affectionately called RALPH, short for ‘Returning All the Little People Home’. RALPH returns babies to hospitals closer to home and family, once they’re well enough to be transported following treatment at tertiary hospitals, such as RBWH.  

“Knowing that Henry, Jasper and Evan’s legacy is helping babies born prematurely in regional Queensland in this way feels like a truly special way to mark what would have been their 20th birthday,” Sophie said.  

RUBIE will also provide seating for a parent to travel along with their baby or, if required, an additional staff member.   
"RUBIE is the next big step for our service and will have a huge impact on the families that we look after, significantly improving the care that we can provide,” Dr Cooke said.