Building a Better Health Service

Your Health

Mums Virtual Wellbeing Hub welcomed at University Hospital Galway

MORE ARTICLES

 Ailish Killilea, Assistant Director of Public Health Nursing, Community Healthcare West; Helen Murphy, Director of Midwifery, University Hospital Galway; Carmel Connolly Project Lead and Clinical Midwife Manager 2, University Hospital Galway; June Barrett Dietitian, University Hospital Galway; Peter Kidd, Pharmacist, University Hospital Galway; Anne Marie Grealish Assistant Director of Midwifery, University Hospital Galway; Eithne Gilligan, Clinical Nurse Manager 2, Community Midwives, University Hospital Galway; Marie Conway, Masters Student, Social Work Department, University Hospital Galway and Mary Moran, Midwife, Parent Education Services, University Hospital Galway.

 

The Maternity Department at University Hospital Galway (UHG) has introduced a new ‘Mums Wellbeing Hub’ which provides online support, advice and signposting on postnatal services available to mothers and their families both in the hospital and the community.

Collaborative initiative

The hub is a collaborative initiative between the Maternity Department, UHG, and Community Healthcare West. The team includes a midwife, social worker, paediatrician, GP, pharmacist, public health nurse, dietitian, physiotherapist, lactation consultant, urogynaecology specialist midwife and a member of the Perinatal Mental Health team.

Carmel Connolly, Clinical Nurse Manager 2 and project lead explained that the “lack of support and connection, change in identity and unrealistic expectations of parenthood due to the influence of social media, has affected maternal wellbeing. Feeling overwhelmed, exhausted and lonely is not uncommon.

“Listening to our mothers’ concerns led to the design of this new service. Mothers need to connect with other mothers. There is a real fatigue and loneliness after giving birth for many women. They need consistent, evidenced-based information, and signposting to services available to them in Galway.

Increased referrals

“We launched the hub last November and it is so reassuring to see the difference the hub has already created in the lives of mothers and their families. There has already been increased referrals to physiotherapy, lactation consultant and urogynaecology specialists. Mothers have connected with these services as a direct result of attending the wellbeing hub.

“We have a fantastic multidisciplinary team that have expert advice and it’s growing all the time. Now more and more health professionals are asking to join from the community and we’re only delighted that, the wider the team, the better for mother and baby.”

One mother who attended the hub praised the initiative noting that it was “lovely to be able to connect with other mothers. I was having breastfeeding issues and I knew who to contact after the hub. It is reassuring to see the healthcare team from the hospital and the community working together. It is a fantastic service.”

Another mother said she wished the service had been available after her first baby: “I did not know what was normal. I was so down in myself and was embarrassed to look for help. I picked up lots of skills from the clinical psychologist. I am very grateful for the support of this hub.

The virtual hub is live on the third Tuesday of every month at 11 am and booking is available via www.ughmaternity.com.

Watch those involved explain how the hub works [YouTube.com]