Nurses and Midwives are the Heartbeat of Healthcare
Welcome to the Nursing Department at the Latifa Hospital, part of the Dubai Health Authority. Our nurses and midwives are able to practice professionally in a dynamic and challenging environment.
Latifa Hospital is the largest hospital in Dubai to focus healthcare towards woman and children. We offer comprehensive specialised care and we are Dubai’s designated tertiary center for women and children.
We are also proud to be the first fully accredited baby-friendly hospital having successfully completed the vigorous international assessment from WHO/UNICEF.
MISSION:
Our mission is to provide the best evidence-based care to women, children and their families and to contribute to the wellbeing of Dubai’s families.
VISION:
The vision of the Department of Nursing is to be a major contributor in the provision of excellent healthcare to women and children by administering a high quality of patient care based on the best international standards. We are inspiring leadership and excellence within nursing and midwifery through the realisation of our values and a shared knowledge. We aim to ensure that Latifa Hospital is the first choice in the region for healthcare and attracts the best nurses and midwifery professionals who will be proud to work at the hospital.
| THE PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING |
We are continually striving to provide safe, competent, high-quality patient/client centered care in a healthy working environment where excellence in nursing practice is valued and respected. We believe that by working effectively in partnership with clinical colleagues inside and outside of Latifa Hospital we can help ensure personalised care that fits in with their lives and the lives of their families. Given our multinational, diverse patient population, we believe that patient care should be culturally sensitive and respectful of each individual’s uniqueness.
Latifa Hospital is staffed by competent skilled nurses who work as part of the healthcare team to provide comprehensive care to women and children within the hospital. Our focus is patient and family-centered care, and our mission is to provide the highest quality of that care.
Our areas of work include:
- Paediatric Medical Ward
- Paediatric Isolation Ward
- Paediatric Surgical Ward
- Gynecology Ward
- Antenatal Wards
- Postnatal Wards
- Delivery Suite
- Neonatal Intensive Care
- Intensive Care for Women and Children
- Operating Theatres
- Emergency Department (ED)
- Feto Maternal Medicine Unit (FMMU)
- Pregnancy Assessment Unit (PAU)
- Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit (EPAU)
- Out Patients Department (OPD)
- Lactation Clinic
Main Services
Key Facts About our Delivery Suite
Nearly 7,000 women gave birth at Latifa Hospital last year.
- We offer midwifery care for low-risk women.
- We have a specialised team that offers care for low-risk and more complicated births.
- We will support women throughout the entirety of their labour and delivery.
- We encourage women to adopt the most comfortable positions when in labour and during childbirth.
- Our care is based on the best available evidence.
| Emergency Department - Women and Children |
Key Facts About our Emergency Department
The Emergency Department of Latifa Hospital is open 24 hours a day. The unit is managed by experienced staff who will attend to any urgent health needs. Every patient who comes to the Emergency Department will be attended to by staff who are trained to deal with Paediatric, Gynecological and Obstetric emergencies.
In order to ensure that patients will be attended to in a timely manner, Latifa Hospital’s emergency department uses a triage system. This system enables the staff to administer care according to the condition of the patient meaning the patient with the most life threatening condition will be attended to first.
For patients who require observation and/or simple treatment, the emergency department has a four-bedded Short-Stay Unit that allows patients to stay up to 24 hours.
During specified timings, the paediatric walk-in clinic is open to cater for children with non-urgent cases.
| Pregnancy Assessment Unit |
- We provide a high-quality coordinated service for complicated pregnancies.
- We minimise unnecessary admissions, provide continuity of care for the most vulnerable women and improve communication between women and care givers.
- We offer prenatal diagnosis, management and counseling relating to abnormal pregnancy which Includes invasive procedures for diagnosis such as amniocentesis, chorionic villus sampling, fetal cord blood sampling and intrauterine transfusions.
- Care is offered in a welcoming environment with the emphasis on developing and maintaining good interpersonal relationships with pregnant women.
- The unit is staffed by experienced doctors, midwives and nurses and is supported by evidence-based clinical guidelines and stringent competency assessment systems.
| In-Service Education and Training Unit |
- We focus on continuing educational activities that help the Latifa Hospital nursing staff to acquire, maintain and/or increase their competence to function within their designated roles.
- We offer competency based education and orientation.
- We coordinate and teach specialist courses including:
- Preceptors’ Course
- I.V Therapy Training
- BLS (Basic Life Support)
- PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support)
- PEARS (Pediatric Emergency Assessment, Stabilization and Recognition)
- STABLE (Sugar, Temperature, Airway, Blood pressure, Lab Work, and Emotional Support)
- BFHI Breastfeeding 20 hour course
- We run a bimonthly journal club for staff to keep them up-to-date.
| Research and Practice Development |
Key Facts About our Research and Practice Development
- Three key posts have been created to develop nursing and midwifery care to meet with the highest international standards. These are:
-Practice Development Midwife Intrapartum Care
-Practice Development Midwife Antenatal and Postnatal Care
-Midwifery Research and Development Specialist
- We are implementing the best available evidence with regards to midwifery and nursing practice.
- A competency framework developed by the Practice Development Midwives ensures nurses and midwives work to the highest standards.
- We run skills drills and workshops to maintain the clinical expertise of our staff.
- We are publishing papers and research about our work at Latifa Hospital.
- We have developed a pregnancy assessment unit and a short stay maternity ward to avoid unnecessary admission to the hospital.
- We are developing a midwifery model of care to give women a real choice.
- We have helped develop the first midwifery program in the UAE and have coordinated all of the clinical components.
| Intensive Care Unit (ICU) |
Key Facts About our ICU
In 2009 we cared for 355 women and children using state-of-the-art technology.
We are a tertiary referral unit with a total of 15 beds.
We provide acute and intensive care for children from one month to 13 years of age and to women who have received obstetric or gynecological care.
| Outpatient Department (OPD) |
Key Facts About our OPD
- We had 54,019 appointments in our OPD in 2009.
- We provide care for women and children and offer a wide variety of specialist services including urodynamics, infertility, medical disorders, neonatal and pediatric clinics, obstetric and gynecological care.
- We provide a staff clinic for easy access to medical care.
Key Facts About our Gynecology Service
- In 2009 we cared for 1,161 women who had pregnancy related problems.
- We also cared for 2.014 women with gynecological problems, 265 of whom underwent major surgery.
- We provided care for 17 women with infections and co-existing medical problems in our isolation unit.
Key Facts About our OT
- We provide 24 hour nursing care in the OT.
- In 2009 we provided nursing care and support for 3,714 pediatric operations, 1,971 obstetric procedures and 1,699 gynecological operations.
- We run five major operating theatres, one minor procedures theatre and a recovery room fitted with eight beds.
- We run a dedicated theatre for obstetrics.
| Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) |
Key Facts About our NICU
- We provide tertiary level care for sick neonates across the Northern Emirates.
- We have 38 cots dedicated for level II and level III intensive care.
- In 2009 we nursed 775 ill babies.
Key Facts About our Maternity Wards
- We provide 24-hour midwifery care to pregnant and newly delivered women and their babies.
- In 2009 we cared for 8,217 women who were admitted before or after birth.
- We successfully implemented Caesarean Section pathways so that women could be admitted on the day of their operation, avoiding unnecessary admission.
Key Facts About our Pediatric Wards
- We have 82 beds dedicated to inpatient care for children.
- 7,835 children were cared for in 2009.
- We look after children from one month to 13 years of age with a wide range of medical and surgical problems.
| Director of Nursing |
Mrs. Rajakumari Ravikumar |
| Assistant Director of Nursing |
Mrs. Aida |
| Midwifery Research and Development Specialist |
Dr. Grace Edwards |
| Practice Development Midwife(Antenatal and Postnatal Care) |
Mrs. Jill Wright |
| Practice Development Midwife(Intrapartum Care) |
Mrs. Diane Wilton |
| Nursing Supervisor - Pediatric Services |
Mrs. Ayeda A. Niaj |
| Nursing Supervisor - Operating Theatre and ICU |
Mrs. Dolores S Damasco |
| Nursing Supervisor - Inpatient Services |
Mrs. Diana D’Souza |
| Nursing Supervisor - Intrapartum Services |
Miss. Emily Glover |