“The First Conference of its Kind in Northern Ireland”

Last week Every Life Counts NI, a branch of the all-Ireland support network for parents whose children have been diagnosed with life-limiting conditions, hosted The Perinatal Hospice Care Conference 2016, the first of its kind in Northern Ireland.

This very important conference provided a much needed platform for Dr Martin McCaffrey and Dr Byron Calhoun, two renowned healthcare specialists in the United States who care for babies with life-limiting conditions, to present their wealth of research and to share their invaluable professional experience with politicians and healthcare professionals 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 Martin McCaffrey, Professor of Paediatrics in the Division of Neo-Natal Perinatal Medicine at UNC School of Medicine, gave a powerful presentation on why the terms ‘lethal’, ‘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 life-limiting 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 Byron Calhoun, Professor and Vice-Chair of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at West Virginia University, 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, nursing, midwifery 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.  

Caitriona Forde, conference organiser on behalf of Every Life Counts NI, said:

“Every Life Counts NI were delighted with the large turnout from the Northern Ireland Assembly at the conference in Stormont and for the enthusiastic response from healthcare professionals at the conference 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 individual MLAs and healthcare professionals after the presentations. Every Life Counts NI are grateful to have worked with Dr McCaffrey and Dr Calhoun.”

Bernadette Smyth, the director of Precious Life, the largest pro-life group in Northern Ireland, attended the Stormont event and said:

“The first Perinatal Hospice Care Conference in Northern Ireland was a huge success. Precious Life and Every Life Counts NI are hopeful that the conference has made a positive impact on how the Northern Ireland Assembly approaches the task of finding better support for mothers and fathers whose unborn babies have been diagnosed with life-limiting conditions and how healthcare professionals respond to the needs of these very special babies and their families.” 






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