Staff arrange special ward wedding

Ward wedding blessing enables mother-of-the-bride to share in special day

A bride who feared her elderly mother would not be able to see her get married due to being admitted to hospital was able to share the special moment with her after staff arranged for a ceremony to take place on the ward.

Tracey O’Brien and her husband Anthony O’Brien got married at Gretna Green on 24 August, but nearly cancelled when Tracey’s mum, Barbara Muggeridge, 79, of Sheffield, was admitted to the Northern General Hospital with a fractured hip, meaning she couldn’t be there for the big day. But staff on the Huntsman 5 ward arranged for a wedding blessing and dedication to take place by Barbara’s bedside the very next day, and Tracey and Anthony were able to make the dash down from Gretna Green for a unique second celebration. The couple, who live near Reading, wore their wedding finery and hospital Chaplain Reverend Louise Yaull conducted the ceremony in the presence of the ward staff. The occasion was complete with flowers, wedding decorations and cake.

The happy couple with Barbara and Hunstman 5 ward staff

Tracey said: “We want to pass on our thanks and appreciation of all staff involved in a very special moment. The efforts made on our behalf were simply top drawer. “It was very sad not to have mum with us on the day and at one point we nearly cancelled. However, to have our rings blessed the next day was like another mini wedding. “Liz Walls (Ward Support Facilitator) did so much organisation for this to happen and we cannot praise her enough. You have an amazing crew! Thank you so much for such an amazing memory and mending my beloved mother with such expert care and skill.”

Celebrating Onam Festival

Members of staff including some of our international nurses gathered in the Osborn Dining Room to celebrate the Onam Festival.

Onam is an annual Indian harvest festival and is the biggest festival in the Indian state of Kerala. It takes place during August to September. Food was enjoyed and some of our nurses shared their experiences of celebrating Onam.

Dad praises care after wife almost gives birth in the back of the car

Phil Bessant, from Ecclesfield, has praised the care his wife received at the Northern General Hospital and Jessop Wing after his wife, Kathryn, went into quick labour in the back of their car.

When Kathryn began displaying signs of labour Phil rang the Jessop Wing in the morning and they advised the couple to make their way to hospital. But within 10 minutes it became apparent that the labour was happening a lot quicker than expected. Phil and Kathryn were driving past the Northern General Hospital when Kathryn started feeling the urge to push. Phil said: “I drove straight towards the A&E Department at the Northern General and there was just enough time for Kathryn to dive on to a trolley and we were wheeled straight through to Resus where they had an empty bay.” Within six minutes Kathryn had given birth to baby boy, Joseph, in the A&E Department. “I know that they don’t get many births in the A&E Department, but everything was perfect. There were loads of staff around with plenty of warm towels on hand and the medical team were all great in keeping us informed about what was happening. “Once Joseph was born and everybody was happy with how they were both doing, the consultant made a phone call to the Jessop Wing so that we could get transferred to the maternity unit.” An ambulance took Kathryn directly to the Jessop Wing where she was checked over again by the Midwifery team. “Everything was really straight forward from there. The midwives at the Jessop Wing told us to take our time, have a shower and gave us some tea and toast. The whole birth took place in about two hours, so it was rather a shock but we could not have asked for better care.” By 10am, Kathryn, Phil and baby Joseph were all back home with their other son Evan, and the family are all doing well. “I’m eternally grateful to all the staff in A&E and Jessop Wing for caring for my wife and delivering our new son safely and to Joe and his team at Yorkshire Ambulance for their assistance. I am incredibly grateful for the wonderful NHS care we received and I am also very grateful that I didn’t have to deliver our baby in the back of the car!”