AN ENNIS doctor has been appointed to a new paediatric cardiology service at UHL which is expected to improve patient access and reduce anxiety for families in the Mid West.
Limerick has been designated an Area Children’s Cardiac Centre under the All-Island Congenital Heart Disease Network. The regional service has now commenced through the appointment of Ennis woman Dr Rachel Power as consultant paediatrician with a specialist interest in paediatric cardiology.
Nurse specialist Georgina Purcell has also been appointed to support this significant service development.
The All-Island Congenital Heart Disease All Island Network was established in March 2015 and is the first clinical network of its kind delivering world-class specialist care irrespective of borders or politics. The network manages an all-island service delivery model for congenital heart disease in children, building on existing services and drawing them together in a network of care which is patient focused and locally responsive.
The establishment of Area Children’s Cardiac Centres, as part of phase two of the All-Island Congenital Heart Disease Network, is in keeping with the National Model of Care for Paediatric Healthcare Services in Ireland: to provide access to as many non-interventional cardiology services as possible, for children and families, as close to home as possible. Limerick, along with Cork and Galway, has been designated an ‘Area Children’s Cardiac Centre’. According to UL Hospitals Group the development of the paediatric cardiology service will improve patient access, decrease the transfer of potentially sick neonates and children to Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin, reduce travel times and ease pressure on families in the Mid West.
Taking up post, Dr Power said she was pleased to be returning to the Mid West after spending much of her career to date in Dublin and the UK.
“This post with the UL Hospitals Group is especially meaningful for me, coming from Ennis, as it gives me the opportunity to improve services for children and families in my home region.’
‘‘I am excited to deliver modern care in General Paediatrics and Paediatric Cardiology, to the new-borns and children of the Mid-West of Ireland, in a department with a commitment to excellence in clinical care and provision of medical education to the highest international standards,” Dr Power said.
Dr Siobhan Gallagher, Consultant Paediatrician and Associate Clinical Director, Maternal and Child Health Directorate, UL Hospitals Group, said, “We are very pleased to be able to announce Dr Power’s appointment and the commencement of a new paediatric cardiology service for the MidWest. Dr Power will working in a multidisciplinary team with specialist nursing and allied health professional staff. This will be a great support for many families who until now have had to travel outside of the region to see a specialist.”
Dr Power graduated with a first class honours degree in Medicine from UCC in 2010. She completed her paediatric training through the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. Rachel built a foundation in Paediatric Cardiology at Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin and furthered her experience by undertaking a fellowship in Paediatric Cardiology at the world-renowned Royal Brompton Hospital, London. She obtained a first class honours degree in her MSc Health Care Ethics and Law from the RCSI. Rachel returned to Ireland in 2018, as a Consultant Paediatrician with Special Interest in Cardiology, at Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin and Temple Street.