Digital app set to revolutionise maternity care

Parents-to-be across Nottinghamshire will soon be able to access their pregnancy notes online in a project that will revolutionise maternity care.  

 

Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust (SFH) and Nottingham University Hospitals Trust (NUH) are moving paper-based maternity, or handheld notes online next week in a joint project.  

 

The move will provide families with greater access to their pregnancy records and information via their smart phone, PC or tablet, at any time of the day or night.

  

The new digital record system has a whole host of features, enabling service users to view extracts of information from their pregnancy record in real time and log key pregnancy events.  

 

They will be able to capture their choices of what they want to happen at each stage, learn about their baby’s development and access information recommended by their midwife. They will also be able to view booked appointments and submit thoughts or questions about antenatal and postnatal care to review with their team at their next appointment.  

 

It will help reduce the amount of time midwives spend capturing the same information on multiple paper records, which will free up more time to provide care.  Another benefit is that information can be shared securely and more easily between the two trusts should a patient at one trust need to receive care from the other at any point during pregnancy.  

 

Phil Bolton, Chief Nurse at SFH, said: “This is a really exciting development for both families and our maternity teams. It will improve the experience of expectant parents by increasing choice, personalisation and empowering them to take greater ownership of their maternity care. 

 

“It will also make it easier for healthcare professionals to safely and securely access, manage and share information to make informed, timely decisions.

 

“All systems take a little time to get used to, so please be patient at appointments while we adjust to this new way of working.” 

 

Sharon Wallis, Director of Midwifery at NUH, said: “The launch of Badger Notes marks a significant turning point as we continue to work on our digital transformation across our maternity services to help us to provide the best possible care to women and families across Nottinghamshire. 

 

“The new system will make a huge difference to expectant parents because it enables them to access their maternity records at any time. They can also share key information directly with our staff such as feedback around pregnancy and their birth experiences. This valuable information helps us to continue to shape our services.” 

 

The Single Pregnancy Record also allows seamless transfer between NUH and SFH, ensuring information is always in the right hands.  

 

All expectant parents who were using traditional paper notes before the launch of Badger Notes will be automatically moved over to the new system. Plans are in place to support families who are unable to use digital technology for any reason.  

Badger Notes goes live for SFH families on Thursday 17 November 2022. You can find more information on our Maternity webpage.