The first subject I want to discuss regarding Maternity Care in Hospitals. Is the subject of security. I know from visitors comments and reactions that having to 'buzz' to enter and leave the Maternity wards or NICU and wait for a member of staff to let them in or out is a total annoyance and irritation.

When I've explained why we have these security measures to parents they are amazed at the reason why. They have thought we are just power mad and controlling. None I have spoken to are aware as to the reason why.

In the 1990's there were a couple of high profile, shocking baby abductions from maternity wards.

Alexandra Griffiths was just a few hours old when she was snatched from St Thomas's Hospital in central London in January 1990. And in July 1994, five-hour-old baby Abbie Humphries was snatched from the Queen Elizabeth Medical Centre in Nottingham. Both babies were recovered after two agonising weeks.

These were naturally and quite rightly so, headline news at the time. There were no such security measures as there are today. The babies were abducted by women who were freely able to enter the wards and remove these babies. Their parents and families were put through heartbreak and hell.

The security measures we have to day were introduced as well as the electronic tagging systems that are used and applied to babies ankles.

Staff name badges in Maternity areas often look slightly different from those in none Maternity babies, some have pink or red highlighted areas on them. The idea being is that if Security see's a member of staff carrying or transporting a baby without one of these altered name badges they are at liberty to challenge that person as to who they are and what they are doing with the child.

There is also a child abduction policy and alert in Hospitals. Where I have worked recently there is an alert phrase that is quoted to security on an emergency direct line to alert them and a lock down of the hospital and wards come into force.

Hospitals also display notices asking visitors and relatives not to let anyone else through the door behind them, but helpful visitors often do!

One reason for this is a subject and situation that never enters the heads of the average family and visitor. That is that there are some individuals who have no place in an area where certain families or children are.

There are 2 categories to this: 

Firstly - there are estranged families and fractured relationships. Sometimes a mother requests that her partner or certain individuals within her relationship or family are denied access to her baby. Hospital staff have to respect this. It can cause tremendous tension and disharmony but the mothers wishes are paramount. I have seen so many examples of this over the years - some arguments appear trivial and petty and others have good grounds for their objections. 

Secondly -  there are individuals out there who have known convictions for sexual offences which mean they are not allowed in Maternity areas where they would not only have access to babies but to other young children who are visiting. 

Staff often have names and images of people who are to be denied access and that is the reason they challenge visitors over the intercom system. If a known, banned individual is seen on camera, Security staff will be alerted to attend. visitors are asked to identify themselves by name - the most common answer when asked is "I've come to see my wife/baby", this obviously does not provide adequate information to staff and visitors are often bemused when they are then asked to name the person they have come to see. You can hear the disgust and irritation at having been asked this question.

As you can see there is more to these security systems that meet the eye. there is a common phrase I use frequently "There is method in the madness!" So when you next visit a Maternity Unit and you have to stand at a locked, secure door and wait for entry/exit please be mindful of my explanation. 

Happily, since the introduction of these systems abductions of newborns are very rare, from memory the most recent cases involved families who were fearful that their baby was being removed by Social Services, not by total random strangers. 

This is my first attempt at a blog.
About me

I will be celebrating my 55th birthday this month and will be retiring from the NHS after 36years full time service - 30 years of those as a Neonatal Nurse. In the previous years I had worked as a General Nurse and as a Midwife. I have spent the bulkof my career in the maternity and Neonatal Setting. 

It has been a priviledge but also disconcerting to know that some of the babies I delivered and cared for will now be adults and parents themselves. Especially as in my head I still feel like that girl that started all those years ago.

I have always enjoyed writing and thought that I would write about being a young retiree and the joys of new found freedom but mostly I want to write about the lovely subject of Neonatal Care and the world of the premature baby that has been the backbone of my life so far.

I sometimes think we provide complex information to parents who have to assimilate this at the same time as cope with the stress of the situation.

At the same time I think as professionals we fail to explain some of the basics in simple terms, things that I think are at the very core of what we do.

Some other random information about me is that I am a passionate football fan and a supporter of Manchester City FC - a football mad female. I have been married to my lovely husband John for 30 years in September. He incidentally likes football but is an armchair and is 'not tribal', his description of having a fanatical allegiance to one club.
I have an ageing Border Terrier, Murphy, I enjoy cooking and watch endless cookery programmes on TV. I also enter competitions as a hobby and enjoy the Theatre.