Parents Concerns and Supports
When a baby is diagnosed with a heart disease it can be a very worrying time for parents. Accurate information and a link to the specialist team looking after your baby is so important at this time.The National Heart Centre for children in Ireland is at Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin, Dublin 12.
The Cardiac Clinical Nurse Specialist (CCNS) is the person who will link parents to the full Cardiac Team who will look after your baby. The CCNS will provide you with information about your child's heart condition, tests, nursing care, medical and surgical treatment. You can phone the CCNS from home if you need to talk or ask questions.
Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin, Dublin 12 (OLHC) website has lots of information about the hospital, St Brigids Ward, Medical Stuff, Hospital Life, The Heart Team, The Heart, Tests/Operations and even has an interactive quiz.
The Website at OLHC caters for 8-12 year olds and was developed by Heart Children and Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin especially for children attending the Cardiac Department click here:- http://www.heartsplay.ie/ The aim of the website is to prepare you and your parents/guardians for the time you may have to spend in Our Lady's Hospital for Children, Crumlin while the doctors, nurses and all the other people in the hospital look after you. You will also have the chance to look at the site while you are in hospital with the Play Specialist on St. Brigid's Ward.
The Down's Heart Group
Provides excellent information and support about heart problems.
These and other organisations provide information about social, developmental, educational and support issues, as well as medical information. The Other Organisations page has a fuller list of relevant groups.
We are very grateful to the Cardiac Team at Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin (OLHC) for their support and advice in collating this information
Written by Dr. Joan Murphy PhD, Clinical/Research Nurse Specialist, Dept of Paediatrics, Trinity College Dublin, National Children's Hospital, AMNCH, Tallaght, Dublin 24.
Date reviewed: December 2008