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146 Standalone Chapters 2020 | NMH Annual Rep t Lucille Sheehy Asst. Director of Midwifery and Nursing administering Emily Flynn, CMM2 Emergency Department, a COVID-19 vaccine. O n the 31 st January 2018, The National Maternity Hospital opened a dedicated Emergency Department, providing a 24 hour / 365 emergency service for pregnant, postnatal and gynaecology patients. This is a purpose built facility and replaces a service that had been spread across many clinics in many locations; the move is a very positive improvement in the care of these women who present to the hospital at a difficult time. The new space consists of a triage room and four treatment rooms. Each room is equipped with diagnostics allowing for the full episode of care to be completed in the one room. This ensures that each woman has privacy while being assessed, examined and cared for. Since January 2019, following the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 this facility also provides 24 hour / 365 emergency service for women following termination of pregnancy. Emergency Department The unit is now in operation for over two years and usually sees emergency presentations in excess of 1,000 women a month for a range of conditions including reduced fetal movements, hyperemesis, hypertension, early pregnancy pain/bleeding, postnatal complications and many gynaecological emergency presentations. The staff in the Emergency Department also provide a telephone service for women and GP's. This service is an invaluable resource for women reassuring them and ensuring that they are cared for in the most appropriate setting at the most appropriate time for their complaint. The COVID-19 pandemic had a dramatic impact on the service during the year. Structural changes involved converting all the rooms to negative pressure. At the peak of the first wave, all non-essential services ceased, which allowed use of the facilities in the adjacent Gynaecology Outpatient Clinic to carry out the service. 2020 | NMH Annual Rep t