Name: DEBORAH FARMER

Organisation:

Award Category: Awareness Advocate

Sponsored By:

Voting Is Now Closed

My Plea:

What an unexpected surprise for me when I opened my emails to find out that I had been nominated by my husband and work colleagues for a ‘Butterfly Award’ in the category of ‘Awareness Advocate of the Year’. The feeling I experienced at the time was complete shock and yet excitement all at the same time.

Im finding writing this plea very difficult, its got to be one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I have asked myself several times, how am I better than any of the other hundreds of people that have been nominated for this award, when we all striving for the same things, aiming to provide awareness around this taboo subject to deliver the best care possible our women and their partners who are at their lowest and most vulnerable time of their lives.

There are so many deserving people in this category who have had much more experience than myself, so, how can I make my plea stand out when I don’t know the first thing about Instagram, tweeting, blogging or using any other social media platform, when I can only just manage to navigate around Facebook.

I have asked several people for some tips on what i should be writing and the advice I was given was;

“just be honest, explain all the differences that you have made, why and how”

So here we go, this is my plea;

My name is Deborah and I work as a Staff Nurse on the Gynaecology Ward for Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust (CHFT), I am also the Link Nurse for Pregnancy Loss up to 18 weeks gestation.

I am also proud mother to my son who is now aged 29 and the mummy of 2 angel babies taken in at 6/40 in 1993 & at 8/40 in1996

I have worked for CHFT for the past 35 years of which 23 years have been in Women’s Health on the Gynaecology Ward. We are a busy acute ward caring for elective and emergency gynaecology admissions. The speciality also provides highly skilled nursing care to women experiencing pregnancy problems and pregnancy loss up to 18 weeks gestation. Our aim is to provide safe, effective, excellent women-centred care, with empathy and compassion.

As part of my plea I shall focus on Pregnancy Loss up to 18/40.

Unfortunately, there are still families today who are experiencing miscarriages and are not receiving adequate emotional and bereavement, care, more shockingly, women are receiving insensitive comments and lack of empathy whilst being treated in our hospitals.

As part of my role and development I have the passion and drive for increasing awareness and knowledge to other staff members within the acute care setting ensuring that they have a better understanding for those that come into contact with women (and their partners/families).

I work along side other multi-disciplinary team members (MDT) such as the Chaplaincy department, Mortuary and Histology staff and also the funeral directors, we meet on a regular basis to discuss any concerns, formulate an action plan and raise concerns back to staff members. I have also contact with support groups which highlight and discuss the needs of women (and their partners) when confronted with pregnancy loss.

I have attended various study days in pregnancy loss, however, I have found that these training days were often focused mainly on late pregnancy loss such as in the second trimester, stillbirth and neonatal death and only just touching the surface of early loss pregnancy loss. I found this a little frustrating as early pregnancy loss is no less important than a late loss.

After searching the internet for courses, I became disheartened to as I was unable to find any study days which specifically targeted Early Pregnancy Loss. That was then that I decided to organise my own professional study day for Healthcare Professionals who look after women at my hospital and invited Nurses, Midwives, and students with the aim of increasing their knowledge, awareness and have a better understanding of women and their partners who are experiencing a pregnancy loss, I aim to organise the study day annually to target a larger audience of Healthcare Professionals.

I arranged for guest speakers from various departments to discuss what happens with the pregnancy once it leaves the ward. I arranged for guest speakers who kindly agreed to discuss their personal accounts to the delegates which everyone was deeply moved. Furthermore, we as highly skilled Gynae nurses, can make a real difference in early pregnancy care, we strive to make a positive difference to women and their partners during one of the stressful times of their lives.

I am always keen to raise awareness in my own time, especially as pregnancy loss is close to my heart after losing my 2 angel babies in the first trimester. In those days no-one spoke about miscarriages, everything was kept indoors, that was over 20 years ago and unfortunately it still goes on today, if we all work together we can break this silence

At present I am in contact and it has been agreed with my local council and the University to illuminating some their public buildings in the town centre during Baby Loss Week, all of which is positive. I have previously organised raffles, cake days and display stands located in the hospital during Baby Loss Week in order not only to raise funds for a charity that supplies our hospital with memory boxes, equipment and funding for staff training, but also raise staff and public awareness, all of which I am organising again this year.

I am currently finalising another presentation this time for A&E Staff who often struggle with pregnancy loss in their department.

I hope that you will give my plea some careful consideration and I look forward to the Butterfly Award Evening where I can meet with other like minded Healthcare Professionals with an interest in Early Pregnancy Loss and also meet with the other finalists in the different categories, where we can share knowledge and experience

What others have said;

“Deborah takes time out to organise staff training at ward level and visits varying departments to pass on her knowledge and any current updates should they need it”.
– RN, Rhoda Cranley

“Thanks for the study day, I found it very interesting and very informative and I will definitely recommend it to my team if you put any more on”.
Lisa Dawson, Sister A&E Department

“Thank up so much for coming and presenting at the A&E common presentation day. I though your presentation was great, you had a very good teaching style which was very engaging and the information you provided was most valuable, I look forward when you next to come and teach for us again”.
– Practice Educator for Emergency Care, Alexandra Keaski

“Deborah constantly strives to improve her knowledge and standards, which are definitely of the highest, in order that her level of practice is both optimum and researched based, which is then delivered to the women she is caring for”.
– Staff Nurse, Norma Hoy

“Debbie is committed to making pregnancy loss bearable for the women of West Yorkshire. She does this by training healthcare colleagues, liaising with local services such as the crematorium staff, providing memory boxes and hand and foot prints”.
“Debbie has also organised study days to promote excellent care. She is a tireless force for the families she cares for and an inspiration to the nursing team. It is a privilege to work with her. She deserves this recognition”.
– Ward Manager Rachel Fielder

Thank you for taking time to read my story Debbie xx

https://youtu.be/lRsE-o3NtMQ