Nurse Dawn Wallace honoured with Frontline Hero Award

An A&E nurse from County Westmeath has been named Frontline Star of the Year by the Irish Independent.

Dawn Wallace plays ladies gaelic football with St Mary’s Rochfortbridge who will be going for a third county title in a row later this year.

And she has worked through the pandemic on the frontline at the Midlands Regional Hospital in Tullamore.

In a moving interview with the newspaper Dawn tells of her brother’s battle with a rare cancer, how her family and county came together to help and her own dedication to her work through Covid-19.

Dawn won the newspaper’s monthly award last July and won the overall 2020 award recently. She was nominated for the award by family friend Lynn Clarke who described her as a ‘born nurse, a natural carer’.

You can read the full interview with Vincent Hogan here.

Former President of An Bord Altranais appointed to the Board of the HSE

The Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD, has announced the appointment of Anne Carrigy to the board of the Health Service Executive (HSE). The appointments come after the Public Appointments Service (PAS) campaign for additional members on the board.

Welcoming the appointments, the Minister said: "I am delighted to welcome Ms Anne Carrigy and Mr Brendan Whelan to the board of the HSE, who are taking on challenging but important positions at this stage.

"The board is central to strengthening governance and contributes to improving the oversight and performance of the HSE. We are currently focused on the pandemic and by ensuring the full potential of the HSE Board, I am ensuring that it is in the best possible position to address the challenges of reform and reorganisation that will accelerate in the coming months and years."

The appointment of the two new members has resulted in a total of 12 members on the board, bringing the board to a total number of staff for the first time since its inception in 2019. The legislation establishing the board allows for the chairman, vice-chairman and 10 members and the full board is now in place.

These appointments were made following an open competition operated by the Public Appointments Service, which invited applications from individuals with specific expertise in patient advocacy and/or experienced clinicians. These are competencies specified in the legislation that must be acquired by at least two members of the HSE Board.

Ms Carrigy was appointed under the provision requiring the applicant to practise as a member of a health profession.

Anne is a career nurse. Having specialised and worked in Intensive Care, she moved into nursing management as Director of Nursing and Head of Corporate Affairs at Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin.

She then joined the HSE as Director of the Serious Incident Management Team and later became National Leader, HSE Acute Hospital Services.

She has served on National and International Boards and Committees for many years including as President of An Bord Altranais, Member of the Board of ENDA (European Association of Directors of Nurses); President of FEPI (European Federation of Nursing Professionals); Council Member of the Medical Council of Ireland; Member of the Board of HIQA (Health Information and Quality Authority); and Member of the Governing Body of Letterkenny Institute of Technology.

She is passionate about patients and recommended patient-centred care, having dedicated her life to improving patient care services.

Nursing professional Justin Kerr is appointed Vice-President of GMIT Mayo

The president and governing body of Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) has announced the appointment of Justin Kerr as the new vice-president of GMIT Mayo. He has also been appointed head of the newly established School of Health Science, Wellbeing & Society, succeeding Professor Neville McClenaghan.

Justin first joined GMIT in 2015 as head of the Department of Nursing, Health Sciences and Social Care, and has led the team in creating and delivering a suite of new programmes at undergraduate and post-graduate level.

Prior to joining GMIT he was assistant director of nursing in Mayo General Hospital where he had responsibility for the clinical learning environment of undergraduate honours degree nursing students in hospitals across the HSE West region.

Justin has extensive experience in nursing practice in Ireland, the UK and Australia and has held management positions in nursing, risk management and general management. He is a Registered General Nurse and is currently a member of the undergraduate site inspection team for the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland.

He has been involved in, and led on, numerous national and regional initiatives within the Health Service Executive (HSE). He was regional coordinator for Acute Hospital Services for HSE West with responsibility for coordinating the development of acute care services along the western seaboard, and he led a project to establish the Symptomatic Breast Disease Network between Letterkenny General Hospital and University Hospital Galway.

As well as having a strong clinical background, Mr. Kerr holds a Masters degree in Population Health Evidence from Manchester University, a post-graduate specialist Diploma in Quality Management from University of Limerick, and a post-graduate Diploma in Emergency Nursing from NUI Galway. He is a Fellow with the NHS National Education Scotland Patient Safety Programme and he is currently studying for a PhD with NUI Galway.

President of GMIT, Dr Orla Flynn, said: “The establishment of a new GMIT school led from our Mayo campus is a significant development for both GMIT and the entire western region. We are delighted to have appointed Justin Kerr to this key senior role, and we wish him every success.

“GMIT is facing an exciting stage of development as, along with our Connacht-Ulster Alliance partners IT Sligo and Letterkenny IT, we journey towards becoming a Technological University. We look forward to seeing our Mayo campus placed at the very heart of this new university.”

Speaking about his appointment, Tyrone native Justin Kerr: “I look forward to continuing to build on success and creating opportunities within the new school and to work closely with the community and the region.”

Covid restrictions sees rise in home births

Visiting restrictions in hospitals due to the Covid-19 pandemic has led to a large increase in the number of women choosing to give birth at home.

Denise Malone, the designated midwifery officer for the HSE’s Cork and Kerry home birth service, said that nationally there had been a 30 per cent increase in home births which is “absolutely” linked to restrictions since the Covid-19 pandemic began in March 2020.

Ms Malone told the Irish Times that in the Dublin Mid-Leinster region home births surged by 60 per cent.

You can read the article here.

Care bundle helped to reduce injury from wearing PPE, RCSI study finds

An academic study at an Irish hospital has found that a new ‘care bundle’ can reduce the incidence of Facial Pressure Injuries (FPIs) in frontline Covid-19 healthcare workers caused by the prolonged wearing of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

The study, led by researchers from RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences Skin Wounds and Trauma (SWaT) Research Centre, is published in the current edition of the Journal of Wound Care.

The research took place over a two-month period amongst healthcare workers in a large acute hospital in Ireland. Approximately 300 frontline staff were provided with a care bundle, designed in line with international best practice and comprising of face cleansing material, moisturising balm) and protective tape.

Results showed that prior to using the care bundle 29 per cent of respondents developed FPIs, whereas after using it only eight per cent of respondents developed FPIs.

Professor Zena Moore, Director of the SWaT Research Centre and Head of the RCSI School of Nursing and Midwifery, was lead researcher on the study. Prof Moore said: "We are acutely aware of the facial injuries, such as pressure ulcers, bruises and skin tears that healthcare workers are experiencing due to the prolonged wearing of protective equipment during the pandemic and especially the wearing of medical face masks.

“These injuries can be painful for staff and injuries in some cases can put them at increased risk of infection. This study is the first of its kind carried out at the height of the pandemic in an effort to help mitigate the occurrence of Facial Pressure Injuries. The results tell us that when skincare is prioritised, and a systematic preventative care bundle approach is adopted, there are clear benefits for the frontline workers and the workplaces involved."

You can read the RCSI report here.

Former ICU nurse helped to lead Defence Forces Covid-19 training

A former ICU news has spoken about how her training helped the Defence Forces prepare for work on the frontline dealing with Covid-19.

Lieutenant Louise Dixon was tasked with devising a Covid-19 decontamination training for soldiers at the Custume Barracks in Athlone before being moved to Defence Forces’ medical corps to assist with training troops if they were required to be deployed to nursing homes, which were struggling to cope with staff shortages last year.

The training “was a big example of the army stepping up and adapting their training", said Lt Dixon. "It shows the resilience of our soldiers and how we can help any sector of society that needs it.”

Lt Dixon is currently deployed overseas as part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon’s Irish-Polish Battalion and was speaking to the Irish Examiner as part of a drive to recruit more women into the Defence Forces. You can read more about her story here.

Midwives awarded for their care for mums

Two midwives have won €2,500 each for their colleagues, thanks to their exceptional work with their patients.

The inaugural winners of the WaterWipes Pure Foundation Fund have been named as Aisling Dixon, community midwife, and Bernadette Darcy, a midwife at Mayo University Hospital. 

Bernadette Darcy, a midwife at Mayo University Hospital, was nominated by first time mum Michelle Filan for her support and caring after she suffered an aneurysm leading to serious memory loss with no recollection of having her baby. 

“Words can’t express how thankful we are to Bernadette during this worrying time,” says Michelle. “My Guardian Angel Bernie cared for me and my son Coby with dignity and respect.”

You can read more about Aisling and Bernadette here.

Special publication pays tribute to nurses and midwives during pandemic

A special HSE-backed publication to mark the efforts of Irish nurses and midwives during the pandemic over the last year has been published by the DMG Media Ireland, owners of the Irish Daily Mail.

The unique publication The Pulse is an industry-wide collaboration, led by DMG, and all advertising and sales revenue generated will go to a special educational fund for nurses and midwives throughout the country.

DMG’s editorial team created the content for The Pulse with support from many Irish personalities and household names.  These included An Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Christy Moore, Roy Keane, Hozier, Joe Duffy, Daniel and Majella O’Donnell, Mario Rosenstock, Ian Dempsey, Gerry Daly, Kathryn Thomas, Baz Ashwamy, Hector, Kevin Dundon, Pete Wedderburn, Colin Farrell, Michael Flatly, Rosanna Davidson, and many more.

Paul Reid, HSE CEO said: “Our health service, and our country as a whole, owes a huge amount to the hard work, commitment and professionalism of all healthcare and frontline workers, including the largest group among us, our nurses and midwives.

“This generous donation to support the professional development of nurses and midwives, supported by DMG Media and all involved in this publication, is a great recognition of that contribution. The HSE thanks all involved in its production, and all those who read and support it.”

Paul Henderson of DMG Media added: “Nurses have been the constant link between families separated from loved ones by the Covid restrictions. They have been answering phones, relaying messages, a caring touch and delivering a word of. With The Pulse we all get to say, ‘Thank you’ in a real way by going out to your local shop and buying a copy for just €2.”

You can read more about the publication here.