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22 Governance Rep ts 2020 | NMH Annual Rep t Overall levels of infection amongst patients and staff have been very small, relative to the large numbers of women attending for care each week. However there is a huge workload in managing to conduct Covid-19 testing, swabbing, management of results, communication and contact tracing. The level of input from the ADOMs and Occupational Health and Infection control teams have been very intensive on a daily basis. The challenge of managing staff absenteeism due to cocooning or self-isolation due to potential exposure, has been an ongoing burden for the midwifery and nursing managers. They have supported their staff, managing rosters and ensuring patient safety throughout the year. The ADOMs, Occupational health team and other staff who were redeployed, created pathways for COVID-19 related and non-COVID-19 related Occupational Health needs. They provided excellent support for staff who were concerned about work related exposure to Covid-19. Staff across the hospital demonstrated tremendous resilience and compassion for patients and each other, coming to work despite all of the concerns for personal safety in the early days of the pandemic, when so much about transmission was unclear and supplies of PPE were scarce. Thankfully due to the really hard work of Ronan Gavin and his procurement team, these issues were addressed within the first weeks and supplies of PPE since then have been secure and of high quality. There were so many initiatives during the year which demonstrated the hospital teams' ability to adapt services to maintain safe, high quality services and to support staff but it is worth outlining some of the main developments. The concept of a 'Hospital within a Hospital' involved modifying the 'Iveagh' gynaecology ward and operating theatres and single rooms with negative pressure ventilation. This initiative has been very instrumental in giving staff and patients an assurance that everything possible is being done to maintain a safe clinical environment for all. A key element maintaining staff morale during the year was enhanced communication and the staff newsletter enabled timely and relevant communication within the organization. The NMH website was upgraded to improve communications with patients and staff with Patient Education resources becoming digital and freely available on the website as a virtual classroom. Recognition of the stress on new parents in the NICU resulted in a new initiative called 'CommuNICU' incorporating 'AngelEye' a secure camera system for parents to see their baby securely from their home. We have continued to develop resources to help increase bonding and emotional support. Webinars, Breastfeeding classes, virtual clinics, utilizing 'Attend Anywhere' technology have all supported our patients in this new climate of social distancing. A COVID-19 Helpline was established through lockdown and COVID-19 Swabbing and Testing was organized as a 'drive through' swabbing service in the hospital car park, which operates each day by the midwifery and medical team, allowing staff and patients to be tested without having to enter the hospital. The Community Midwifery Service has been even busier, with the demands for early transfer home and home birth growing during the lockdowns. These valuable services were never halted, even though most other primary care services were suspended. The community midwives continue to share their expertise with other units who are establishing their community teams and Sinead Thompson is working hard with the National Women and Infants Health Programme to share her 'Labour Hopscotch' across the 19 maternity units. During the year, we were delighted that two new nursing colleagues were appointed to exciting roles, Megan O'Malley, CNS in Perinatal Mental Health and Louise Comerford, CNM 2, Gynae Oncology which is a joint appointment with MMUH and SVUH. It was an extremely busy year for Promotions too and we congratulated many colleagues taking up new roles across the midwifery and nursing services. Eimir Guinan, ADOMN, Ciara Coveney, AMP Diabetes, Annabel Murphy, CMM 2, OPD, Clodagh Craven, CMM 2, Fetal Assessment, Miriam Griffin, CMM 2, Holles Wing, Niamh Carney, CMM 2, Pre-Assessment Unit, Georgina Mulligan, CMM 2, Perinatal Mental Health, Orla Bowe, CMM 2, Smoking Cessation, Catherine Cooke, CMM 2, Urogynaecology, Bincymol Cyriac, CMM 2, Infection Control, Anne Lopez, CMM 2, Unit 4. In 2020 many senior staff members, Fionnuala McGuinn, Bernadette O'Callaghan, Margaret Hanahoe, We have continued to develop resources to help increase bonding and emotional support. Webinars, Breastfeeding classes, virtual clinics, utilizing 'Attend Anywhere' technology have all supported our patients in this new climate of social distancing.