NMH

NMH | 2024 54 Neonatology the inpatient service needs are becoming more demanding with increasing inpatient workloads. In 2024 there were 99 babies admitted to the unit who were eligible for the ACORN programme, 63 of these were inborn. There were 36 babies transferred back to regional hospitals. On 17 December 2024 an updated policy called 'Developmental Ward Round on the Neonatal Unit' was agreed by the Neonatology team at their policy and guidelines meeting. The quality improvement process will continue in 2025. ACORN Post Discharge Screening Clinic The ACORN clinic offers multidisciplinary developmental screening for high risk infants in the NMH catchment area. A range of online parent classes have been developed. The team provide specialist assessment and advice. Early referral to appropriate community services is done if additional needs are identified. The ACORN team continue to refine this post-discharge pathway for high risk infants which may in time act as a national template for services. A new online class 'Feeding my baby at home after the neonatal unit' was established as a pilot programme in Sept 2024 for parents of infants in the weeks after discharge from the neonatal unit. This class is co-hosted by dietetics, speech and language therapy and the neonatal lactation consultant twice a month. As the numbers of appointments grow in this clinic and the demands of the inpatient service are becoming more apparent, it has become increasingly difficult to provide consistent staffing to a number of these clinics as the inpatient service needs to be prioritised. In 2023 there were 56 infants seen in the clinic for 122 appointments and this increased to 85 infants seen in 2024 for 168 appointments. Overall in 2024 there were 99 families were seen as inpatients and 94 families were seen in the developmental surveillance clinic. There is a very low DNA rate for this clinic (1.7%) suggesting this is highly valued by families. Other post discharge activity this year included: • 51 parents attended our online class for 'Introducing Solids and Textures to Your Baby after the Neonatal Unit' (SLT, Dietitian and Occupational Therapy led). • 22 parents attended our new online post discharge class for 'Feeding my Baby at Home after the Neonatal Unit' (pilot programme since Sept 2024 which is led by SLT, Dietitian and Neonatal lactation). • 19 parents attended the physiotherapy post discharge online class 'Little Feet Big Steps' • 16 families attended the in-person THRIVE*** group with neonatal physiotherapy and occupational therapy for babies up 12 weeks corrected age. There were 7 groups in total and there were 2-3 families in each group ***Therapy supported Relationship based sensorimotor InterVention Early Education and Research The team continue to be actively involved in disseminating information, professional development and seeking peer support by attending study days and research meetings. Activity included oral presentations at Irish Neonatal Society research day and at the NMH in-house research and innovation study day (RISE). The whole ACORN team presented at the NMH study day for PHNs and community allies in March 2024. The team hosted the second 'Irish HSCPs in Neonatal Care' Study Day on 17th May which saw 53 professionals working in Irish neonatal units come together to share research and experiences of service delivery. There was also team involvement in kangaroo care day, national breastfeeding week, world prematurity day with the rest of the neonatal team. The Neonatal Baby Bookworms Bookclub This continues to go from strength to strength and this year from September 9-15 the Neonatal Unit participated in the international Babies-With-Books Neonatal Readathon kindly supported by the NMH Foundation. 224 Neonatal Units took part internationally. The NMH Neonatal Unit came in 6th place in the top 15 Larger NICUs for numbers of books read to babies. We recorded lots of fun facts during the readathon. Favourite books read to our babies included 'Guess how much I love you', 'On the night you were born' and 'Going on a bear hunt'. We have been able to give French and Spanish books to families increasing our foreign language book selection. Over 20 new books added to the library thanks to the support of the NMH Foundation. Most of the reading on our unit appears to take place in the afternoons. There were 99 reading sessions captured during the 2 weeks. Some feedback from parents and staff about bookreading to babies in neonatal care included: 'Helps bonding with the baby! Is relaxing and comforting for both parents and babies' (a parent) 'Heartwarming' 'Empowering for parents' 'Family centred' 'Wholesome' (from some staff) Neurodevelopmental Follow-Up Report, Marie Slevin Neurodevelopmental Follow-up of Infants Born Preterm and Term Infants with NE and Seizures Children born preterm and term children with NE due to HIE have higher risks of neurodevelopmental and behavioural disabilities in the first years of life and throughout childhood and adolescence compared with children born term. Extreme preterm babies are at risk for interrupted brain development. Being born so early they are spending their third trimester during a period of rapid brain development in a NICU environment. To date in NMH our

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