A NEW film has been launched in the North East to help teach parents and medics more about the experiences of cleft lip and palate patients.
Called ‘Easing the First Few Hours’, the film focuses on the different types of cleft, causes of the condition, the medical care a baby, or child, will receive, and the experiences and advice of parents with a child born with the condition.
Scores of parents and healthcare professionals attended the Centre for Life last night to watch the first screening of the 50-minute film that was put together by a team of specialists at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI).
Mother-of-one Angela Porritt, 37, is a key contributor to the film as her son, Cameron, four, was born with a cleft lip and palate and has undergone two major operations.
The occupational therapist, from Shadforth, Durham, said: “When Cameron was born with his condition it was a shock and I felt numb as we had no idea he would have a cleft lip and palate.
“I had many questions that I wanted answers to and I was keen to get as much information as I could.
“The staff at the hospital were fantastic but not all nurses and midwives have had experience of the condition and misinformation can be given.
“To have a film like this that parents and healthcare professionals can access is great.
“It gives you everything you would want to know and you can watch it at your own pace so that you’re not overloaded with information.
“It’s also really useful to see other parents talking about their experiences of having a child born with a cleft lip and palate.”
The film is the first of its kind to be produced in the UK and it is now hoped the project will be rolled out across the country.
The £28,000 project was funded with donations from medical groups, the Cleft Lip and Palate Association and patients.
Peter Hodgkinson, Consultant Cleft and Plastic Surgeon for Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “The film will be an excellent resource in the field of cleft lip and palate.
“It is really important that people get the correct information and see first-hand what other parents experiences have been.
“The film is all about giving hope and looking at things positively. The first few hours and days can be a really difficult time for parents and by accessing this film they will get a lot of information to help them.”
Clefts of the lip and palate are the most common facial difference babies can be born with.
In the North East, one in every 600 babies is born with a cleft – a gap in the lip or a gap in the roof of the mouth – which is repaired surgically during the first year of life.
Discovery of the cleft, often before birth on a scan, can be very distressing for parents and families and they need time and help to adjust to the news.
Dr Sue Brown, Consultant Clinical Psychologist at the RVI said: “The film is such a powerful way to get across what can be complex issues and it can be made accessible to a large number of people via the internet.”
A slightly different version of the film has been made accessible for healthcare professionals, such as midwifes, sonographers and nurses.
To view the Easing the First Few Hours film logon to www.newcastle-hospitals.org.uk
