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Northern Ireland

The Neonatal Nurses Association in Northern Ireland has been running for over a decade, enhancing, and improving neonatal standards through providing educational days, specialist courses looking at sharing best practice and annual conferences.
 
The NI committee lead the vision of the NNA in Northern Ireland with representatives from all 5 Health and Social Care Trusts along with the neonatal transport service, NISTAR. These dedicated volunteers ensure that the voice of the neonatal nurse in Northern Ireland is heard, promoted, and valued.
 
The NNA are committed in being open and inclusive to all as we support Northern Ireland neonatal nurses to feel confident and valued in their roles to ensure that all babies and their families across Northern Ireland experience optimal care.
 
If you would like more information about the NNA in NI, please contact the NI Chair, Colm Darby, on NIadmin@nna.org.uk.

Meet Helen Mushipe - NNA in NI committee member

Making a Difference Award

2023 Runner-ups

Brenda McCabe

Midwifery Lead, Southwest Acute Hospital Western Trust

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Brenda McCabe

Midwifery Lead, Southwest Acute Hospital Western Trust

The hardworking and dedicated staff in the neonatal unit have faced very difficult and uncertain times in the last number of years, including the temporary closure of the neonatal unit.  During this period Brenda McCabe went above and beyond her duty to maintain a safe service, bolster staff morale and provide excellent maternity care for both mothers and babies alike. Her inspiring leadership and unwavering determination helped maintain team spirits and paved the way to the rebuilding of neonatal services within the SWAH.

Brenda can only be described as our hero in the story of the neonatal unit’s journey to recovery, rebuilding, and reopening. With very limited resources and an overextended neonatal nursing team, the job of keeping the unit open was achieved through her strong will, determination and forward thinking initiatives.

She acknowledged that her team of midwives and the neonatal nurses were her biggest asset and took every step to recognise this and support them through very trying times. She worked tirelessly to create a nurturing environment for the neonatal and midwifery teams to not only learn from each other but also to support each other within their different disciplines. 

Brenda maintained the service, she prevented a possible permanent closure of the unit and the story of her support should inspire courage and determination to all those teams who are facing difficulties in service recovery during the current healthcare landscape. Her efforts within the SWAH saved a service and should be a blueprint for all those leaders within healthcare to follow.

Sandra Cairns

Neonatal Sister, Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Belfast Trust

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Sandra Cairns

Neonatal Sister, Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Belfast Trust

Sandra is a Senior Neonatal Sister and over the years has impacted on the lives of not just babies and families, but particularly nursing staff.  Delivering care of the highest standard since entering the profession, she has maintained this standard, influencing other nursing and medical staff by being the best role model possible. Sandra has a reputation of being 'strict but fair’ ensuring that nurses always perform to the highest level in care delivery.

Sandra is an excellent teacher who always aspires to the gold standard in her teaching; this also applies to communicating within the MDT where she has the utmost respect for being unbiased and unrelenting in expecting excellence, professionalism and compassion in all aspects of their work. Sandra is an NLS Instructor and was pivotal in the production of an online resuscitation app for Queen’s University Belfast where she was an external lecturer.

Sandra is the ultimate role model who's professionalism, expertise and compassion all combine to make her the Neonatal Sister who makes a difference .

Current & Previous winners

Cathy Flinn

Making a Difference Award 2023

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Cathy Flinn - Winner

Making a Difference Award 2023

Cathy is the South Eastern Trust Breast Feeding lead and surpasses expectations and always goes the extra mile. Cathy brings fresh ideas to increase breast feeding rates. She is leading the team towards Neonatal UNICEF Breastfeeding accreditation. She has developed a teaching plan for the unit and covers teaching for the rest of the Maternity hospital. Cathy has also held a drop-in session for staff and families to learn about breast feeding together.

Cathy has been part of SET Quality Improvement programme, developing a follow-up telephone discharge service for families to support their breast-feeding journey. She has also helped bereaved mothers to express breast milk and donate to the milk bank.

When we have an intensive care admission Cathy can be found in the background, supporting families and staff. The simple act of making cups of tea and a kind word from Cathy has helped families and staff through difficult days. Her natural skill for compassionate support during critical and bereavement care has led to Cathy covering our Hospice Nurse’s maternity leave.

Cathy also initiated our Neonatal Graduate Board, with photos of families on their day of discharge, ringing the bell to let everyone know they are starting their new journey at home.

Cathy makes a difference to staff and families every day and always does it with a huge smile!

The NNA in Northern Ireland

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A big thank you to our partners

All working toward optimising the neonatal experience for babies and families.

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Special interest groups

Neonatal Nurses Association 

9 Riverside Walk, Dartford, Kent, DA1 5TN

EMAIL: admin@nna.org.uk

Registered Charity in England & Wales number 295696. We also operate in Northern Ireland.

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Dräger is incredibly proud to support the NNA by sponsoring the NNA Shared Learning & Best Practice in Neonatal Care Scholarship.

Dräger is an international leader in the fields of medical and safety technology.

Visit the Dräger website:: https://www.draeger.com/en_uk/Home

The Kate Farrer Foundation was established in memory of Dr Kate Farrer, a distinguished neonatal consultant at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and Transport Lead for the East of England. Sadly, Kate died in 2014 following a short illness. Her family set up a foundation in her name & have funded the Kate Farrer Scholarship since 2021.

Visit the Kate Farrer Foundation website: http://www.katefarrer.org/

The NNA is a member of the Council of International Neonatal Nurses (COINN) who we collaborate and partner with closely. COINN is a global organization that represents nurses who specialize in the care of newborn infants and their families. As a COINN partner, the NNA and its members are part of an international community and voice of neonatal nurses across the world. NNA members are automatically joined to COINN membership and can be a valued and integral part of this global voice.

Visit COINN: https://www.coinnurses.org/

Armstrong Medical is the proud sponsor of the NNA Team of the Year Award. Now part of Eakin Healthcare, the company supports neonatal teams across the world, working closely to understand the challenges and pressures faced.  The company join the NNA praising Neonatal teams for their inspirational work as they deliver care to the tiniest and most vulnerable patients.

Armstrong Medical provide options for heated resus, invasive and non-invasive ventilation. NeoFlow® is a complete range of critical and supportive respiratory solutions, designed to give neonates the best possible start in life, from their very first breath.

Visit the  Armstrong Medical website:

https://www.armstrongmedical.net/care-areas/neonatal-critical-care/

vCreate Diaries is a secure video messaging service providing reassurance to parents in NICUs. The vCreate team is working with us on awareness campaigns, communications and video projects to support families during their neonatal journeys.

Visit the vCreate website:: www.vcreate.tv/diaries

Enhanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (ENNP)

About the role
“Within Newborn Services the role of the ENNP has been utilised to support the medical staffing within the SC and HDU areas. The role follows a medical model and nursing staff gain confidence in managing planned care with the medical staff on ward rounds. They will assess and feedback to the medical staff on infants who deteriorate, prepare infants for discharge and order investigations as per planned care. All plans of care are discussed with the medical team in order to support the safe care of infants in these areas. There is the opportunity to undertake the role of the non-medical prescriber if the ENNP wishes to develop their skills. The experience gained working within the team can often become a springboard to moving towards the ANNP course” Stephanie Dow (Matron for Intensive Care and High Dependency, Manchester Foundation Trust)

How to get in to it
Speak to your manager or senior nurse during appraisal. Consider undertaking some of the below courses for CPD and to ready yourself for if/when a post becomes available

Essential courses, example: https://www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/study/cpd/courses/nursing -practice-bsc-cpd-units/?pg=2&unit=NURS9319C&unitYear=1 
10 study days 

Other courses/CPD which may help 
NIPE (Newborn Infant Physical Examination) 
Leadership 

Transport

About the role
Neonatal transport nurses provide care and support to babies during transfer to another unit. This may be an acute uplift transfer alongside a doctor or ANNP, such as a transfer to an intensive care unit for ongoing medical/surgical/cardiac care, or it could be an elective repatriation back to their local hospital or to a specialist hospital for an outpatient appointment

How to get into it
Speak to your manager or senior nurse during appraisal. Transport Nurse secondment posts are often available from your regional transport team. Consider undertaking some of the below courses for CPD and to ready yourself for if/when a post becomes available

Courses/Resources
Neonatal Transport Special Interest Group – https://nna.org.uk/special-interest-groups/neonatal-transport-special-interest-group/
Neonatal Transport Group | British Association of Perinatal Medicine (bapm.org) – Neonatal Transport Group | British Association of Perinatal Medicine (bapm.org)
STAN – Home – Neonatal Skills

Community Outreach

About the role
Some Neonatal units have Neonatal Outreach Nurses who will provide ongoing support to parents and carers in the community setting. The nurses may be supported by clinical support workers or Nurse Associates. As a team they will offer specialist care to premature babies and to those babies with complex health needs requiring additional support who have been discharged from the neonatal unit, transitional care or postnatal ward.
 
Outreach nurses are involved in discharge planning, facilitating an early and seamless discharge for the baby and parents to the home environment, and work with other health professionals.
Neonatal Outreach nurses will provide support to parents and carers that may include establishing feeding at home, those with a low birth weight, home oxygen and home phototherapy.
 
How to get into it
Speak to your manager or senior nurse during appraisal. Consider undertaking some of the below courses for CPD and to ready yourself for if/when a post becomes available
 
Courses
UCLAN – community care of the neonate – https://www.uclan.ac.uk/cpd/courses/community-care-neonate-cert  
Safeguarding children, young people and adults level 3
Newborn Infant Physical Examination
 
CPD ‘Working with families to transition from neonatal units to home’ e-learning for health module

Advertisement of the career structure available within neonatal nursing

Coming soon

Quality Roles

Infant feeding

Coming soon

Bereavement & Palliative Care

Coming soon

Quality Improvement

Coming soon

Consolidation of QiS

Coming soon

Completion of QiS

Coming soon

Completion of formal preceptorship programme competencies

Coming soon

Knowledge of educational support available within the neonatal setting

Induction

There will likely be an induction programme designed by the ODN Neonatal Clinical Educators to support newly qualified nurses, or nurses new to neonates in the transition to neonatal staff nurse and in preparation for the Neonatal Foundation Programme, if one is offered by their ODN.

An induction programme might include topics such as:

Basic Clinical Observations and Assessment of the Neonate. Aim: To be able to complete a full and comprehensive assessment of the neonate.

Nutrition and Fluids. Aim: To provide adequate and appropriate nutrition using skills and knowledge to encourage healthy growth.

Infection Control. Aim: To provide a healthy and safe environment and take steps to prevent and treat neonatal sepsis.

Skin Integrity. Aim: To maintain healthy skin integrity

Jaundice. Aim: To identify jaundice and treat accordingly.

Medicines Management. Aim: Can administer medications safely and competently.

Family Integrated Care. Aim: The nurse is able to provide Family Integrated Care.

Recognising the deterioration of the neonate. Aim: The nurse is able to recognise when an infant is deteriorating and initiate resuscitation.

Pain management and assessment. Aim: The nurse understands how to assess and manage infant pain.

Admission, Discharge and Screening. Aim: To provide holistic care from Admission to Discharge.

Professional Conduct, Communication and Documentation. Aim: To work in accordance with the NMC standards and maintain professional accountability.

(Content example taken (with permission) from the Yorkshire & Humber Neonatal ODN induction programme)

On-going educational support

Neonatal ODNs will offer their own programme of educational support. This will include webinars, study days, skills sessions and supporting you to complete qualifications such as a Foundation Programme, QiS, plus Masters and PhD level courses.

The NNA also offer an on-going programme of online and in person learning events.
View our events

Access to neonatal placement

As a pre-registration student undertaking a children’s nursing programme, you will hopefully get an opportunity to gain a practice placement on a neonatal unit that offers an opportunity to work within special care, high dependency and intensive levels of care, under the supervision of practice staff. Some Universities accommodate all their students to ensure this neonatal-specific experience happens, while for others, you might need to arrange this experience as an ‘elective’ placement. The latter would also apply to a student on an adult nursing programme.

Placements on a neonatal unit vary between on average 6 to 12 weeks depending on your year of study and whether students have supernumerary status. Student midwives also undertake varying lengths of time on a neonatal unit to gain clinical exposure to babies requiring special care.

To find out more about neonatal placements as a student, view our NNA webinar -‘Making the most of the neonatal placement‘.

We are delighted to tell you; we are now signed up to the UK Government Gift Aid scheme.

This means we can claim back 25p for every pound of your subscription from HMRC – it does not cost you a penny more and this additional income will enable us to support you further with our webinars, conferences, awards, and scholarships. For us to claim Gift Aid on your subscriptions, we need your agreement.

How to help

I want to Gift Aid my subscriptions in the future and those I have paid in the past 4 years to the Neonatal Nurses Association. I am a UK taxpayer and understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my payments in that tax year it is my responsibility to pay any difference.

Please notify us if you:

– want to cancel this declaration
– change your name or home address
– no longer pay sufficient tax on your income and/or capital gains

If you pay Income Tax at the higher or additional rate and want to receive the additional tax relief due to you, you must include all your Gift Aid donations on your Self-Assessment tax return or ask HM Revenue and Customs to adjust your tax code.”

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