Remarks at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in GUH
Galway, 24th February 2012
I would like to thank the HSE for the invitation to open this newly refurbished neonatal unit today.
This superb state-of-the-art critical care facility will provide its staff with the technical support to provide the best high-level care to our critically ill premature and full-term new-born infants in the West of Ireland. As I look around, I can see that the refurbishment has transformed the old facility and significantly increased its capacity. This wonderful facility is now on a par with other major neonatal intensive care units throughout the country.
The combination of dedication and professionalism from the staff, coupled with ultra-modern specialised neonatal equipment, means we can now, in the Western Region, offer all aspects of specialised neonatal intensive care to our newborn babies.
The refurbishment has provided an additional 3 cots in the Unit, bringing the total to 17. This expansion will reduce the need to transfer patients out, so we can offer local care to local families with very ill babies. The addition of an ensuite room for parents is also very welcome, at a time when they want to stay as close to their babies as possible. In recent years the facility has become a regional referral centre for neonatal care. The referral base now includes all infants born within the Western Region and critical care for these babies includes specialised treatments.
All who have had the privilege of becoming parents know that maternity hospitals are very special places. Many of the patients here will return to their homes with their long-awaited babies, overjoyed and also a bit in awe of the responsibilities and challenges they face as parents. They will nurture their children and want to see that they reach their full potential, whatever that might be. Thankfully, most of those parents will never need to be aware of the incredible work that a neonatal ICU does for its tiny patients.
In 2011, over three thousand children were born in Galway, with over 300 of these attending the neonatal unit. Nearly half of these babies were premature. When these babies, as well as others with particular conditions and illnesses, are admitted to this unit for treatment, the length of stay can vary from less than 24 hours to more than 4 months.
The birth and early days of a baby, when it has to attend a neonatal unit, is an extraordinary journey. I can easily imagine that this must be a very traumatic time for parents. Parents of babies find themselves hurled into the unknown world of a neo-natal unit, with all the additional stress and fear associated with the baby’s aftercare when released from hospital.
On behalf of all the parents of babies that have been cared for here, I wish to thank all of the staff for your support and solidarity. You patiently explain to parents the use of each machine and the purpose of each procedure and are happy to give that explanation again and again to a succession of parents who need the reassurance of your knowledge and expertise. You do this because you know how stressful this time is for parents and how they take great comfort in understanding their baby’s care.
I am also impressed by the many parents and others who, having been touched and inspired by your work in the unit, give significant amounts of time and work, selfless and voluntary, to fundraise for ancillary items for this unit. This is in addition to the mainstream funding by the HSE. The Irish Premature Babies charity and the Children’s Remembrance Fund are but two of the fundraising organisations that must be commended in this regard.
A very obvious labour of love, you must forgive my pun, is a book entitled “Tiny Footprints”. This book became available on World Premature Birth Awareness Day on November 17 last year. It was written by the Irish Premature Babies charity, which does fantastic work supporting parents with an early baby, and features stories of 80 families and their experiences of premature birth, including stories from Galway parents. It shows new parents of premature babies that they are not alone, that so many people understand and have been through the journey they are currently going through, while also creating awareness of the issue of premature babies.
Great progress has been made in the care of newborns. We have come a long way from when the first incubator was developed 120 years ago. Neonatal units have become much more parent friendly, with parents encouraged to help with care as much as possible. Cuddling and physical contact between babies and their parents if possible is now seen as beneficial for all but the frailest of babies.
Those of us who find ourselves on the front line of engagement with the health services, whether as patients or family of patients, know how fortunate we are to enjoy the excellent care of the medical staff who look after us. In maternity services, in particular, parents invariably have nothing but praise for the doctors and nurses who help to safely deliver and care for their babies.
While awarding full recognition for this excellence of medical care, we should also spare a thought for those in the back-office who make an unseen contribution to these happy outcomes. I am sure that the early chapters of the story of this new unit involved planning, budgetary and procurement processes, all of which required expertise and commitment to advance to finality. The public servants who played their administrative part to get us to this happy day also deserve commendation.
In conclusion, I want to congratulate you all on your hard work, dedication and co-operation, evidenced by the refurbishment of this unit. I wish all of you gathered here today and your patients every success for the future. Thank you for your attention.