Dr Laoise O’Brien is the new Obstetrician and Gynaecologist who joined the team in Mount Carmel in January 2013. She graduated from UCD in 2000 and has been doing Obstetrics and Gynaecology since. Dr. O’Brien trained on the Irish Specialist Registrar training programme and travelled to Australia to further her experience.
What are your special areas of interest?
I love Obstetrics, which is my main area of interest. I spent 3 years in Melbourne and Perth, Australia and gained invaluable experience in high risk Obstetrics and multiple pregnancies. I also worked in adolescent and paediatric gynaecology. I enjoy working on the labour ward and delivering babies.
What is it like working in Mount Carmel?
It really is a lovely place to work! Staff are welcoming and very hands on. From the Women’s Health Clinic on the fourth floor, right through to the Postnatal Ward. The Women’s Health Clinic runs very well, we have a great team. There is a smooth transition between the midwives, ultrasonographers and consultants and the secretaries tie everything together. The atmosphere is always positive, even when we are at our busiest periods. The care that the patients receive on the labour ward is excellent. People are often surprised at how calm an environment our Labour Ward is by comparison to larger hospitals. The same can be said for the Postnatal Ward. Midwives there have more time to tend to patient’s needs and help patients who want to breastfeed their babies. Our Special Care Baby Unit is a staffed 24/7 by a Paediatrician / Neonatologist and neonatal nurses. Patient’s whose babies have needed to use SCBU always return with positive reports as staff there pride themselves on being as open and clear as possible about the baby’s care plan. This makes every aspect of a mother’s stay more relaxed, as their mind is at ease and they can enjoy their time here.
We have heard you have started a satellite clinic in Hanover Quay. How does that work?
We felt that there are many women who may want to attend Mount Carmel Hospital but find it difficult to attend their antenatal appointments due to the location of their work. Patients working or living along the Quays, North Dublin, or Dublin 2 / 4 areas, now have an accessible clinic where they can avail of all of their antenatal appointments. If it doesn’t suit them to travel out to Churchtown, they can see the full team at Hanover Medical Centre and just come to Mount Carmel to deliver their baby. This new clinic runs every Tuesday morning. The convenience of this service makes a big difference to our patients, as it eliminates the stress of making appointments on time or trying to make it back to the office without arousing any suspicion early on in the pregnancy.Read more about the satellite clinic on the Mount Carmel website.
