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PRETERM AND NEWBORN babies could become the “latest casualties of Ireland’s acute hospital capacity pressures”, consultants have warned.
The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) has today raised concerns that a lack of consultants and capacity in Ireland’s neonatal services threaten to impact hospitals’ ability to provide specialist care for preterm and newborn babies.
The group said the situation has been made worse due to the backlog created by the Covid-19 pandemic, noting staff shortages and that many neonatal units have no isolation facilities to deal with coronavirus patients.
According a report by Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) published in February 2020, approximately 10% of newborns are admitted to neonatal units in Ireland every year, the majority of which are struggling to deliver the required levels of care.
The report showed that four neonatal units did not have adequate isolation facilities, and that neonatal cots were being placed too close together, increasing the risk of cross-infection between infants in these units.
The IHCA has said these isolation facilities are now critical for managing care for infants and parents in a Covid-19 environment in line with international guidelines.
Children of mothers who have or are suspected to have Covid-19 should initially be isolated if they require admission to a neonatal unit. However, without adequate investment to create the additional space, consultants have warned “the risk of transmission of infection will remain dangerously high”.
Consultant shortages
The IHCA said capacity issues in Ireland’s neonatal services are further compounded by severe consultant shortages.
Hiqa found that none of the specialist maternity hospitals – the National Maternity Hospital (Holles Street), Rotunda Hospital, Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital, and Cork University Maternity Hospital – had achieved the recommended levels of staffing, meaning that the nation’s specialist facilities are falling below the required levels.
“Difficulties and delays in recruitment is a key issue that Department of Health confirms is impacting the implementation of Maternity Policy in Ireland.
“The medical staffing requirements are also at odds with HSE figures, which suggest that only 37 of the approved 41 permanent consultant neonatology posts in public hospitals are filled on a permanent basis,” the IHCA said in a statement today.
Ireland has a lower number of consultant paediatricians on a population basis (5.4 per 100,000) than England, Scotland, Australia, and New Zealand, according to a HSE report.
The report also projects a 78% increase in the demand for consultant paediatricians and neonatologists by 2028, meaning an extra 199 consultants will need to be added to the current headcount of 255 in less than eight years.
Speaking in a video interview released by the IHCA today as part of its #CareCantWait campaign, consultant neonatologist Dr Michael Boyle of the Rotunda Hospital said: “Having a baby is one of the most momentous experiences of anybody’s life, and if you add a huge stressor like giving birth at 25 weeks into that, it’s full of uncertainty and worry.
“There are significant challenges as I would see it from my perspective such as access to intensive care beds. We would occasionally find that we are unable to accept a referral from another hospital because we don’t have the space or the staff to care for them and that is an awful position to be in.
“We are firefighting, we’re dealing with the issues as they present on the day. It’s a challenge to improve a service when you can’t focus on the longer-term elements that you’d like to develop.”
TheJournal.ie has contacted the HSE and Department of Health for comment.
Read more here on how you can support a major Noteworthy project into why the Irish health service offer so little choice for expectant mothers.
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They have obviously never been to Athy in County Kildare
Best laugh I’ve had all day Angela, very good indeed :)
Don’t think Athy is a city!!
Wasn’t that funny in fairness now
That scene in The Lion King comes to mind:-
“What’s that dark place over there dad?”
“That is Athy Simba. you must never go there”
Not sure what’s more miserable, your comment or your profile pic !
Ain’t never been to Chicago either…hahaha, NOT
I for one love Dublin. Yeah economy maybe in mess, corruption all over the place and junkies on every corner but there is no words, currency or statistics that can describe this “something” about this place…
I call it home. When ever I go away I just love the feeling of relax when I get back to Dublin and I know what’s going on around me. Its a nice little city center we got
I’ve lived in and out of Dublin for the last 20 years. As soon as I see it from the plain window I get a sudden sense of anxiety. I’m a patriotic Irishman but strangely its always had that affect on me.
Ive lived in Dublin but now im back home in London. I visit as often as i can. Every time i see the coast around Howth and Portmarnock and those 2 big chimney towers in the docklands it makes me really happy to be back. Dublin is a great city.
Was in Dublin last week. The junkies on the street will be my memory of the place. How can they let it have fit so bad. Won’t be back again unless I have to. Very dirty and smelly.
I brought my four young children down to the Zoo on Monday and then walked about the place for a few hours before getting the train back at 9.00pm and we encountered all of life. On the Luas two men were dealing drugs with each other beside us, a girl spent ten minutes sitting beside my four year old loud and pound on her mobile phone with every sentence having one or two f@%ks, we saw a guy giving a girl a crack hit on Millenium walkway outside the really nice cafe (Lemon Jelly) we were sitting in, we got asked for money a heap of times during the day. We nearly stepped in human shit three times between Dublin castle and Gt Georges St South. We walked back to the train station along O Connell St and Abbey St and the amount of junkies was unreal.
Besides that we loved the buzz of the place, especially the live music on the street. Will definitely not take the kids near the place again.
That’s a fair amount of bad luck in one day, but it’s happened to me. Some days you’ll just run into freaks at every turn and then other days, not a bother.
To be fair I am down in Dublin quite a bit and had never really noticed before. It was just seeing it through kids eyes that it was different. I love Dublin and just feel sad for what’s happening in people’s lives. It was the first time I had to explain homelessness to my daughter. Saying that, their faces were full of wonder at loads of other great stuff – they loved the spire, the bridges, Phoenix Park, the Luas, the buskers, the bikes, the Chester Beatty garden and St Stephens Green.
Belfast has a zoo you know ;-) or animal long kesh as we like to call it…
Aye I know but we wanted to see something other than Spidies and Orange Dinosaurs
Was this a poll of Irish expats? All Canada and Australia bar two, they must be doing something right.
Bar 3 you mean?! No As in Geography in your Leaving Cert. I guess! Auckland is in New Zealand which is definitely not in either Canada or Australia the last time I checked.
I have visited all those cities. All are nice clean cities some of them a little boring. But i would never want to live in any of them and probably will never make a return visit.
Vienna looks nice but the locals are unfriendly sods.
I never had a problem with the people in Vienna, they were all very friendly
Id love to live in Vienna its beautiful
Just like the dubs here Kevin
Vienna reminds me of 90′s Krakow. In fact I’m pretty sure they use the same trams…
Was there once. It’s a lovely city for sightseeing and is picturesque, safe and very clean. But the atmosphere was so lacking it felt like a city that had had a lobotomy
Worked in bienna for six months. … boring, arrogant and unfriendly. ..Gratz down the road leaves them trailing
I need to know where Galway placed? Half of Mayo, Clare, Brazil and Spain live here, we must be doing something right!?! (I have absolutely no evidence to back up my figures!)
Surprised Berlin isn’t up there. Been there a few times and each time it feels like a different trip. One of the most interesting places everything is so impressive.
I agree. It’s a beautiful city and the people are so friendly.
Definitely agree Lauren :) I’ve done the tours around and they’re so interesting. The last time I went on an alternative tour of all of the graffiti areas and old buildings if you ever go again I’d really recommend it.
Is that you again Enda?
Cork was number 11……right??
Cork was actually number 1 but was omitted from the final list due to a shocking clerical error by some langer.
Where did Dildo in Newfoundland rank? I guess it would be a pleasurable place…
Think it can be a bit hot and sticky there so dropped some places.
Newfoundland, isn’t that another Ireland?
Yeah I went on Vacation there last week… Awesome place, like Ireland with whales, Icebergs and screech! Great street called George st, newfie temple bar!
Lucky enough to be living in Melbourne now, it’s an amazing city!
#yolo #amazeballs
#totes
Could you share how Irish cities did please? (The link provided requires registration to see the full list).
1st world problems
Surely the great city of Waterford. Ireland’s oldest city, capital of the sunny South-East & home of the blaa was in the running. Urbs intacta Manet Waterfordia.
http://www.thejournal.ie/waterford-hidden-ireland-heritage-week-1039308-Aug2013/
Check out this great article from the Journal for those who don’t realise what history Waterford has to offer.
Waterford with its city centre trade decimated with 16% of premise closed while B&Q couldn’t get out of town quick enough? Nice to look at but a total kip these days. Blame your city council.
Oh no, there’s no B&Q. Disaster. Is that how you measure a city? Waterford’s retailers are struggling to be sure but there is a fight back & the city centre is getting the care it deserves after too many years of neglect. The works on the quay when finished will make it far more attractive & as a destination for tourism the city has improved it’s offering hugely in the last 3 or 4 years, the entire Viking triangle area & the 3 Waterford Treasures museums are very impressive. Waterford has to fight harder than other cities which are politically favoured but fight we will. Waterford, Our nations oldest city is 1100 years old next year & it’s going to be celebrated in style. Up the Deise & &#%¥ the begrudgers.
B and Q was shite, there was a reason noone wanted to shop there.
Where does dear ole dirty ole Dublin rank?
Personally always loved Barcelona
So many pick pockets and prostitutes on La Rambla though.
Three these cities I’ve lived and worked in and u wouldn’t want be out work for more then two weeks in any them so im assuming this poll does not include homeless people ! Most liveable place is prob my mothers couch, free rent ,ul get away wthout a job as long as u attend all local funerals with her and ur most likely always be fed hahahahaha
This survey is a scam and a farce and a scam!!!
Yeah – no Newry !
Rome should be right up there. Lovely city with amazing sights and history
But the traffic! And the police are grumpy feckers.
Problem is, all roads lead there….
Melbourne is savage in fairness, nothing cheap about it though, suppose that’s why the average wage is $1,000 per week
That’s not a lot living over here in Oz.. Trust me…
What has happened over there. I spent a summer there in 2004 and everything was the same price it was here but the currency was half the value. Eg a €5 breakfast was $5 but €1=$2. Needless to say I had a very good time.
Where’s Limerick?
Limerick’s in the mid-west; where it’s always been :-)
On the Shannon River in the mid-west of Ireland.
In munster ;)
Aren’t we smart at half ten at night! Ye think ye are soooo smart
It’s moved to Knackeragua
what?
limerick has moved to Dublin, well I never!
4 of the top ten are Oz and no San Diego, Shenanigans!!!
That would be 3. Auckland is in NZ.
It sure is but Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth & Sydney are all in Oz. Someone needs to invest in a map.
My mistake.. Sorry I counted wrong.
So basically move to oz
Tehran, Douala (Cameroon), Tripoli, Karachi, Algiers, Harare, Lagos, Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea), Dhaka (Bangladesh) and Damascus (are at the bottom of the list with conflict responsible for many of the lowest scores, the report stated.
Melbourne is a fab city but I doubt the 100 of homeless people sitting on Elizabeth st would agree its the most liveable.. It’s all relative surely
All them places have one very bad thing in common there not cork the city in the world as we all know. Up the rebels!!!!
Boston?
You’re joking right? Id say whole Victoria state in Oz has only like 2x crime rate of Boston having 10x more population.
This is a bit confusing comparing all Victoria State with just the city of Boston. I suppose you could include all of northern New England as a comparison with someplace as vast as Victoria and then numbers would be more interesting. Does seem a bit twisted to make the comparison as you have. That being said the condition American cities, for the most part, is a message to urban folk from the government that the country is not run for the likes of people who ride the subway or live in cities. Still I think Irish people would be hard put to find a place that gives them a warmer welcome than Boston. That is why they continue to poor in every time the govt back home is so corrupt or ineffectual they have to run.
As far as crime, stay out of those businesses that have a high unnatural death rate and you will be ok. But some terrible things happen everywhere…..
Angela that is brilliant ! Made me laugh
Prague is another beautiful city full of nice people. Hopefully it’s in the top 20!
What? theres exactly 100 homeless people in Melbourne???
I don‘t think she counted the ones on Flinders Street͵ just Elizabeth. :)
Neverneverland
Where’s Jeddah, Saudi Arabia? :)
I guess it‘s not so liveable for women… :)
I lived in Melbourne for a year, great city but im happy to be back!
I live in simpli.city its nice here
Surely the great & historic city of Waterford. Ireland’s oldest city, capital of the sunny South-East & home of the blaa is in the running. Urbs intacta Manet Waterfordia.
no langers,junkies,vikings or gangters in kilkenny, so thats the place to be
They only published the top 10
Granard.. Fact
Each and every one in sparsely populated countries.
Nearly took an engineering job in port moresby,glad i didn’t now!!
Loved Adelaide and Perth when i was there but very costly to live there.
Is Waterford in Leinster???
Hopefully not
Where is Waterford?
Don’t be mean. Waterford is struggling economically but there is a fight back & the city centre is getting the care it deserves after too many years of neglect. The works on the quay when finished will make it far more attractive & as a destination for tourism the city has improved it’s offering hugely in the last 3 or 4 years, the entire Viking triangle area & the 3 Waterford Treasures museums are very impressive. Waterford has to fight harder than other cities which are politically favoured but fight we will. Waterford, Our nations oldest city is 1100 years old next year & it’s going to be celebrated in style. Up the Deise & &#%¥ the begrudgers.
Can’t go wrong in Australia it seems
Full report is behind a paywall, but the one that you can dowload just lists a top and bottom ten. For the record the ten worst are:
131 Iran Tehran
132 Cameroon Douala
133 Libya Tripoli
134 Pakistan Karachi
135Algeria Algiers
136 Zimbabwe Harare
137 Nigeria Lagos
138 PNG Port Moresby
139 Bangladesh Dhaka
140 Syria Damascus
Atleast there all fairly sunny places, so there’s that
have your say