Top of the range facilities and a well-designed building are two of the things that set the new Cork University Maternity Hospital apart from other hospitals, writes Michelle McDonagh
The latest in cutting edge robotic surgery technology, a stunning design that maximises natural light throughout the building and one of the largest neonatal units in Europe are only some of the features that set the newly opened Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) apart from its peers, according to those working in the new development.
The €75 million hospital on the campus of Cork University Hospital at Wilton opened on March 31st, one week later than scheduled following weeks of intense negotiations over staffing levels between the Irish Nurses Organisation and the HSE.
Mothers, babies and staff from the three existing maternity hospitals in Cork - St Finbarr's, the Erinville and Bons Secours - were transferred to the new facility in a major operation that ran surprisingly smoothly given the logistics involved.
The modern six-storey building is triangular in shape with a curving glass facade representing the circle of life - ironically, the first two architects who worked on the building were, in fact, pregnant women and this is reflected throughout the design.
The new facility comprises 144 maternity beds, including six for women who experience difficulties during pregnancy or just after birth and 12 individual labour rooms.
CUMH general manager Nora Geary says: "It's a big change from St Finbarr's and the Erinville, where mothers had to share the labour ward, two to a room. In the Erinville, there were 56 in-patient beds with 22 women sharing two showers on a floor and three double labour rooms. There were 46 beds at St Finbarr's and only three labour beds."
The birthing pool room, which is only the second of its kind in the State, is a relaxing room with a deep oval shaped tub and a large knotted cloth rope hanging from the ceiling for when those labour pains get really bad.
"We have staff specially trained to use the birthing pool. It's really for people who want no intervention and who want a natural birth with only gas and air for pain relief. Women have laboured in water since Roman times, it's perfectly natural," explains Geary.
The "home-from-home room" is for women who find the clinical environment of the hospital upsetting, explains clinical nurse manager Mary Quaid. All of the equipment in this room is integrated into wall units and cupboards to create a more homely feeling.
The 46-cot newborn intensive and special-care unit is one of the biggest in Europe and boasts the latest in cutting edge technology for the treatment of sick babies. There are three Care by Parent rooms where parents, who live outside Cork city, can stay overnight if they wish to be close to their babies.
Amy O'Brien, from Mallow, stayed there for two nights last week as her two-month old baby, Maria, is in intensive care.
"I think it's lovely here. The room and ensuite is very nice and the staff are all lovely as well," she says.
Upstairs in one of the main wards, Dolores Byrnes, also from Mallow, and her two-day-old son, Christopher Gerard, are enjoying their stay.
"My daughter was born in St Finbarr's in June nearly three years ago and although the staff there were great, there is no comparison. It's pure luxuryhere, I've an ensuite room to myself and a fabulous view," she says.
As well as an extensive research facility, the building's top floor is home to the office of Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, John Higgins.
"The design, finish and aesthetics of the building does set it apart from other Irish hospitals at the moment, and the HSE have allowed us to equip it to the very highest standards. In terms of staffing, over the course of the next year as we open our full range of services, our staffing levels will set a new benchmark as well," he explains.
Higgins is particularly excited about the fact that his department is awaiting delivery of a Da Vinci robotic surgical system which allows surgeons to perform many procedures more quickly, easily and less invasively.
"There are only 33 Da Vinci robots worldwide at the moment and none in Ireland yet. This system moves keyhole surgery onto a new level.
"For the surgeon, it's like being in a large 3D arcade computer from where you control the surgical instruments in the patient. It's at the leading edge of development in general surgery and is being increasingly used in gynaecology."
Fibre optic links connect the out-patient clinic, operating theatres and ultrasound rooms to the University College Cork facilities on the fifth floor. In the computer simulation laboratory, students can develop their basic operating skills on space age-like computer torsos.
"I think this hospital is the way forward for maternity hospitals in Ireland. I chaired the national review of maternity services that was published a couple of months ago and it was agreed that significant investment was needed in new buildings in Dublin," Prof Higgins says.
"We have been given all the pieces of the jigsaw here and it's up to us to put them together and deliver a fantastic service that will immediately benefit women and their babies.
"If we get it right here, it might have a ripple effect through the Irish hospital sector," he says.
The design, finish and aesthetics of the building set it apart from other hospitals