The Perinatal Hospice Care Conference 2016
This week in Belfast, Every Life Counts NI, a branch of the all-Ireland support network for parents whose children have been diagnosed with life-limiting conditions, were blessed with the company of two American heroes: Dr Martin McCaffrey, Professor of Paediatrics in the Division of Neo-Natal Perinatal Medicine at UNC School of Medicine, North Carolina, and Dr Byron Calhoun, Professor and Vice-Chair of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at West Virginia University.
Dr McCaffrey and Dr Calhoun travelled from their home States to present their wealth of research and to share their invaluable experience of caring for babies with life-limiting conditions and their families at The Perinatal Hospice Care Conference 2016, the first of its kind in Northern Ireland.
This very special conference was organised by Every Life Counts NI because of the urgent need for politicians and healthcare professionals to find better ways to care for babies diagnosed with life-limiting conditions and their families in Northern Ireland.
The conference was held on two dates. The conference was first held on Tuesday 20th September in Parliament Buildings, Stormont, and then the following evening in Riddel Hall, Queen’s University Belfast.
Dr McCaffrey gave a powerful presentation on why the terms ‘lethal’ or ‘fatal foetal abnormality’ and ‘incompatible with life’ should not be used to describe a child with a life-limiting condition. He illuminated the findings of a wealth of research papers showing that babies with Trisomy 18 and Trisomy 13 can live for weeks, months and even years, and challenged those in the audience who were blinkered by misunderstandings of conditions such as anencephaly, Trisomy 18 and Trisomy 13 to shake off their old ways of thinking and to see the value and dignity of these very special babies.
Dr Calhoun gave a captivating presentation on perinatal hospice care and how this wonderful service can be implemented in Northern Ireland. He talked about how healthcare professionals in different specialties, such as obstetrics and gynaecology, neonatology, nurses and midwives, and bereavement care, need to bridge the gap and to work together and to communicate with each other, in order to better meet the needs of babies diagnosed with life-limiting conditions and their families.
Both inspiring speakers left an indelible impression on the MLAs who attended the event in Stormont and the healthcare professionals who attended the event in Riddel Hall. Questions flowed from both audiences and the two guest speakers were able to speak personally and share more of their expertise with MLAs and healthcare professionals after the presentations.
The first Perinatal Hospice Care Conference in Northern Ireland was a huge success and the organisers in Every Life Counts NI are grateful to have worked with these two great American heroes.