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SAVITA HALAPPANAVAR was at the core of the new national standards for the bereaved following the loss of a pregnancy or perinatal death, according the project’s chairperson.
The new national standards, which will be rolled out across all hospitals in Ireland, were launched today by the Health Minister Simon Harris and HSE CEO Tony O’Brien.
Speaking at the launch in Farmleigh House the chair of the sub-committee tasked with drawing up the standards, Ciaran Browne, said:
During our development process, Savita and many other people who have had pregnancy loss were at the core of the development of these standards. We listened to their needs during the consultation process and a lot of the parents told us about their experiences.
TheJournal Politics / TwitterMinister Simon Harris and HSE's Tony O'Brien launching national standards for bereavement care for pregnancy loss pic.twitter.com/IQgMOAwfCo
— TheJournal Politics (@TJ_Politics) August 10, 2016
He told the packed auditorium that she is remembered today and said a copy of the new standards has been sent to her husband Praveen. He has made no response, said Browne.
Praveen Halappanavar settled a medical negligence case against the HSE over the death of his wife Savita in March of this year.
Due to the death of Halappanavar – a 31-year old dentist who died in 2012 due to complications with a septic miscarriage – and also Dr Peter Boylan’s report on infant deaths in Portlaoise Hospital, the HSE began work on the new standards over two years ago.
Through public consultation and meetings with voluntary organisations, it was determined that there are varying standards in hospitals as to how parents are treated.
Browne said it was the most “emotionally tough” group he has ever had to chair in his whole life.
Recommendations and training
The new initiative will ensure all parents affected by pregnancy loss and perinatal death get identical care.
New training will be given to health workers, and new bereavement services teams will be established, made up of a midwife, chaplain, bereavement coordinator and a medical social worker.
Other recommendations include that there be a certain prescribed language used when breaking the news to parents, and this should be done in a “quiet and private” environment, as well as standardised treatment and procedures.
If a mother is alone, hospital staff will ask if they can contact the partner, and strive to ensure she does not leave alone.
The recommendations in the report include that if it is predicted that a woman’s pregnancy will result in a loss, then she should not be scheduled for a scan with other expectant mothers.
TheJournal Politics / TwitterHSE boss Tony O'Brien on new bereavement care standards in pregnancy loss pic.twitter.com/TTSjG9l87g
— TheJournal Politics (@TJ_Politics) August 10, 2016
O’Brien outlined that instead, the hospital should ensure that she is the first on the list to meet her consultant that day so that she does not have to sit in a waiting room with pregnant women.
Following input from parents as to what should happen in the incidence of perinatal death, the guidelines state the doctor should gently inquire if the parents would like to hold the baby, take photos of the baby or if available, have a professional photographer take photos of the family together.
Parents should also be given the option of creating a memory box and take a print of the baby’s hand or foot or perhaps wash and dress the baby.
The minister said such practices are not in all Irish hospitals.
I think today marks a new beginning for parents who need to access bereavement services… it is extremely important we have national standards… and that we have a consistency to bereavement services, whether you are living in Donegal or Wexford, Cork or Louth.
He said he did not want to see this document sit on a shelf, but wanted it implemented country-wide.
“I trust that this work will ensure that all families who have the terrible experience of a pregnancy-related bereavement will receive the care and compassion they need,” said the minister.
TheJournal Politics / TwitterHealth Minister Simon Harris says this is a landmark year in Ireland's maternity services pic.twitter.com/gicNDv3VHT
— TheJournal Politics (@TJ_Politics) August 10, 2016
Fatal foetal abnormality
Guidelines on how health workers deal with grieving parents are to be updated to acknowledge cases of fatal foetal abnormalities.
This will include parents who have been affected by a fatal foetal abnormality or who have travelled abroad for an abortion.
“These standards absolutely apply to them,” said Harris, speaking about parents dealing with the diagnosis of a fatal foetal abnormality.
“Regardless of how your loss came about, if you are bereaved in relation to pregnancy or perinatal death, these standards are applicable to you.”
“I think it is regrettable, and I have already said this in the Dáil, that that hadn’t always consistently happened in this country.”
There needs to be absolute clarity for our hospitals in terms of what information they can provide, I don’t think that has always been the case, we see examples of different practices in different hospitals.
He added:
“Information that is and should be made available to women should be made available in all hospitals and that there isn’t a lottery depending on what hospital you go to, to what information you get.”
In cases where parents choose to terminate their pregnancy, the recommendations state that parents should be provided “up to date” information and contact details of services available. This must be approached with “due regard to the provisions of relevant legislation”.
Harris said he believed, historically, women in this country had not received the level of support and care from our health service.
He said he was pleased that with the very first national maternity strategy for Ireland being launched this year, as well as these new guidelines launched today, that Ireland is ”catching up”.
“I think it is regrettable we didn’t previously have them,” he said.
O’Brien said parents’ wishes are “paramount” in harrowing situations such as those recounted to the sub-committee.
He said there was an “absence of absolute clarity” on a universal basis, adding that “open disclosure” is key for when “things go wrong in the health system”.
Harris said the implementation of the guidelines is supported by an additional €3 million the government pledged towards maternity services this year.
The strategy, which was peer-reviewed in Sweden and Canada, will be reviewed yearly.
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Arrived at 7 for a gig that starts at 7 says it all really. I arrived at 6 and was in my seat with beer in hand at 6:30
@ciaran o dowd: Ciaran, don’t be coming on here with your common sense and telling people to be organised, it deflects from their agenda of blaming everyone else for their lack of getting to the stadium on time…
@ciaran o dowd: I wouldn’t call that rockshore p*ss a beer ;)
@Denis Conroy: did you read the whole article ?? I agree about being there on time but women had to leave the whole concert to use the toilet then go through the whole re-entry process. Sounds badly organised to me.
howyafixed prefers fruit in his beer get with the programme croke Park.
@Denis Conroy: the women couldn’t piss anywhere
@Sean Money:
Vulgaris
@Howyafixed: very true
@Fred Quinn: I was in the lower Cusack, as well as the normal toilets there were a bank of portaloo toilets along a wall, it seemed well organised in my area anyway, obviously don’t know about the rest of the stadium.
@Fred Quinn: No I didn’t read the whole article… headline, straight to comments, leave comment and back to work, my boss doesn’t pay me to be reading journal articles all day… As for the women’s toilet issue that’s a problem at every big event, the men’s toilets will be nearly always empty and women’s queueing for an age, I’m sure most would agree an adequate amount portaloos would do the men and let the women’s use the men’s toilets which could also have portaloos along where the urinals are but that never happens…
@ciaran o dowd: in fairness it seems only the red route was affected and it was very bad and dysfunctional, the first time I have seen that in Croke park, or anywhere else, ever. It was very bad, very poor stewards if you could find one outside, lots of them inside. Seems they just went missing. I was in the Q at 5.30 relaxed , got to seat at 6.40, a lot of people behind me didn’t make the 7.15 start when he came on. Haven’t said that it was , that apart, a magnificent show, and the weather , well!
Walked in at 5, seat and beer by 5:30. Left after the show and made our train home. Trouble free if you gave plenty of time.
It’s an Irish thing. People ALWAYS arrive late. Leinster Northampton had to be delayed. People always arrive late to All-Ireland finals. This probably isn’t Croke Parks fault. It’s probably not the stewards fault. It’s the peoples fault for arriving late. “Ah just one more pint then we will head down”. Concert starts at 7? Then aim to arrive at 6 at the latest.
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: folk assume concerts don’t start on time, that was very true 20 years ago but not anymore, times are strictly followed
@Jason Walsh:
Except this one didn’t…. Kicked off about 7.15.
@Regular John: because the place was half empty at 07:00
@Fr. Fintan Stack: So it should be too!!!
@Fr. Fintan Stack:
½ empty ? Not at all !
People are out of their minds with self righteousness and entitlement at the moment. Watched Attack on Wembly last night. These events are becoming massively challenging to organise and police. As a poster above said: Arrived at 7 for a gig at 7. Ffs
For people all over the pit, Hogan, Canal/Davin, it was a breeze. Hence why we see a lot commenting that “it was fine”.
However 1 of the routes, red I believe, which mainly covered pitch standing and some of the Cusack Stand, they bottlenecked everyone into a single 2 metres wide entrance on St.James Avenue/Clonliffe Road. This primarily seems to have caused the majority of it, as people elsewhere seemed to have a handy enough trek in.
@Cathal Carr:
I went in the red route, no problems at all. Sitting in the Cusack with beer in hand at 6.30
People can’t arrive on time, then blame someone else.
Others complain about the quality and price of the drinks. Don’t drink then! You can enjoy a concert without booze, try it sometime.
@Fran Ken: Technically there’s no arguing with this statement. But on a sunny evening, summer gig – the bar isn’t so much calling as writing you a poem, put to music with a choir of angels on harmonies!
Absolutely chaotic last night …the stewards hadn’t a clue ..on all Ireland final day 80,000 plus fans get in to the stadium without a problem…maybe in future let the GAA stewards handle it…
@Derek Carroll: Just be in time.
@Alex: there at 6;30 .took 50 mins to get in
No joined-up strategic thinking as per & under-trained staff. How many times?………….
Arrived at 6:30 and was in my seat by 7. Fantastic concert and I wouldn’t be his biggest fan.
Was at foster terrace at 6.15, 200 MTRS from the Cusack stand.
Was not able to get onto the pitch until 7.45 .no knowledge from the stewards or ability to use obvious entrances to the pitch below the Cusack.
Great Show though what I saw of it .
@Mick Scanlan: left a bar at 630…strolled past all the queues and on into the stadium via red route, foster terrace, no issues. Thankfully for me the majority were obident, almost single file que that stretched for what seemed like 2 km. They got me back though by refusing to allow me into the stadium with drinks in plastic cups.
Typical Ireland, couldn’t organise a p**s up in a brewery.
Get back to the Small venues where MUSIC belongs
@RIP: How many small venues can hold the 80,000 fans who saw Springsteen? Maybe he should play The Brazen Head for a fortnight and bring the entire city to a standstill?
The streets of drumcondra
Springsteen is some operator. Found the queueing OK as we were there at 445 but the only drawback was that p*ss rockshore canned beer. 330ml and about 7euro a pop! Great night though. BRUUUUUUUUUCE!
It wasn’t that bad
Not everyone was arriving at 7! It was mostly red route to the pitch that seemed to be poorly planned. We were trying to get in from 5:45 , missed him coming on stage . It was chaotic.
@kathy: you’re absolutely right. The red route was like a flock of sheep herded down a sideroad that could cope
Probably all southsiders who got lost crossing the Liffey or got off at the wrong DART station. Great little country too, 80,000 there last night and the country is broke
Lansdowne Road is much, much easier to get into than Croker.
@Ian McDonald:
Assuming you mean the Aviva, it holds 30,000 less than Croker.
It is ways somebody else’s fault.
Everyone’s fault apart from the idi#t that didn’t show up on time . I arrived at about 6 and was in my seat with coffee in hand at 6.20pm .. arrive for concert a 7 and complaining says it all really
@john diggly:
More importantly, who goes to a rock concert and drinks coffee ?
have your say