One of the senior nurses at Mercy Hospital for Women (MHW) Neonatal Services, Amy Farrelly is number nine in the long line of Farrellys born at Mercy hospitals — 25 and counting.
Amy joined Mercy Health in 2007 and has managed teams in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Special Care Nursery since 2019.
Amy’s mother, her own sisters, her sister-in-law and some of her aunts and cousins have all had their babies at Mercy Health hospitals.
“I can’t claim it as a fact but we think it is the most from any one family,” she says with a laugh.
To add to the scorecard, among the Farrelly family are two aunts who were nurses and a cousin who currently works in the MHW nursery. And to add to the equation, Amy is mother to three boys, born in 2010, 2012 and 2017 — all of whom are, of course, Mercy babies. Of the 25 Farrellys born at Mercy hospitals, they came in at 13, 15 and 20!
Inspired by all of the staff who work in the nurseries, Amy says it is Mercy Health’s reputation for high-quality care, across Victoria and beyond, that influences families, including her own, to have their babies at Mercy hospitals.
Amy and some of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit team.
“The availability of our high quality facilities and access to an on-site Neonatal Intensive Care Unit if further care is required is important to families, including my own,” Amy says.
She is emphatic that there is no greater place to work than NICU, providing constant care for the smallest and sickest babies.
“I have had the honour to work alongside many people with exceptional knowledge and clinical skills, all of whom work together to provide heartfelt care for what often can be complex cases,” Amy says.
Health Services Chief Executive Professor Jason Payne says Mercy Health nurses and midwives are known for their compassion, skill and teamwork — and for leadership at all levels of the organisation.
“When young nurses and midwives join our team they can look forward to outstanding role models like Amy and others, as well as a constant education, helping them to become great nurses of the future at either Mercy Hospital for Women or Werribee Mercy Hospital,” Jason says.
Some of the many thank you cards received from families.
For Amy, it all comes down to the joyful moment when nursery staff farewell a family and their child.
“We are all very lucky to work in such a rewarding environment,” she says.
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