Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital Annual Report 2020
Introduction from the Master
It is my great privilege as the 31st Master of the Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital (CWIUH) to introduce the 2020 Annual Report. The Coombe has been offering care to women for 194 years and as part of my address during the commencement ceremony I highlighted a continuation of the vison of provision of services for and service to women.
All Mastership transitions are accompanied by a sense of anticipation, excitement and an ongoing support for the office of Master. This was no different for me as I met all the women who were in-patients on that day, all the staff who were on duty and all who attended the commencement ceremony. I was and continue to be humbled by the support offered to me in my role by all. I wish to acknowledge and thank my friend and colleague Professor Sharon Sheehan for her incredible contribution to the hospital as Master and personally for the advice and support she gave me during the transition. While the role of Master is a daunting one, it is only possible to do effectively with the support of the Senior Management Team (Patrick Donohue, Ann McIntyre, Annemarie Waldron, John Robinson). This team evolved during the year with the establishment of the roles of Chief Clinical Operating Officer (CCOO) - Professor Martin White and Chief Operating Officer (COO) - Melissa Lawlor. Laura Forde continued to offer support as my PA. I am very grateful for the support of the Board as a whole, but in particular to the Chair Mr. John Gleeson.
By March, COVID-19 hit our shores and my vision of services for and service to women was truly demonstrated by all our staff. The facilitation by colleagues to redeployment to COVID assessment units and screening desks, the changes in rosters, the adaptation to ‘red and green zones’, the acceptance of negative pressure rooms, the delivery of COVID-19 tests, the ‘let’s find’ solutions (virtual appointments, COVID-19 adapted website, antenatal education videos) and the incredible resilience in terms of delivering our services in an ever evolving pandemic was remarkable and epitomised the dedication and care offered by all to the women and babies under our care. The “Coombe Way” was further demonstrated by those retired staff who came back to help during the darkest days of the pandemic. The collaboration between our laboratory and the laboratory in Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin (CHI, Crumlin) in the provision of COVID-19 testing was exemplary and augurs well for closer alignment between the CWIUH and CHI, Crumlin in the future. The COVID Executive Team with their ability to adopt an evolving knowledge base of the disease to minimise risk to the women, babies and staff, I believe was key to our success in managing the first pandemic since that seen in the Mastership of Robert Ambrose Laverty
