19th May 2022
about a 3 minute read
latest
Torbay and South Devon NHS adopt electronic maternity record
The new record captures all the relevant maternity information for a single patient – including antenatal, labour and postnatal notes – in a single place, improving both efficiency and patient safety
"The families we care for will also benefit from the system, as the new associated Airmid patient app will allow them to view their records, access information and be more involved in their care.” Tracy Moss, head of strategic systems’ software development, Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust
Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust has gone live with a new maternity record system from TPP SystmOne Maternity, digitising the maternity pathway from antenatal through to postnatal care.
The trust estimates that more than 25,000 women a year will benefit from the new system. All medical and nursing notes are now held in a single record, so that midwives have instant access to all the maternity data they need. A midwife working in postnatal care, for example, can see a mother’s antenatal and delivery notes. This means they have all the information they need to make the best clinical decisions and improve safety for mothers and babies.
Advanced functionality will support staff with the management of more complex pregnancies, through enhanced clinical decision support, alerts and a complete maternity timeline.
The maternity team has used TPP’s clinical development kit (CDK) to develop the data entry templates and visualisations they wanted. All staff members can quickly capture the information they need for a complete antenatal, labour, delivery and postnatal record. The trust has also used CDK functionality to create customised safeguarding content, helping to support and protect the most vulnerable families. Staff are benefiting from interactive inpatient screens in the system, allowing them to manage bed capacity and perform safe, efficient handovers.
Instant access to GP information
Maternity staff are now able to instantly access any important information entered by GPs, significantly improving the patient experience – women only have to tell their story once, without having to repeat themselves. GPs can directly refer into the maternity unit, improving efficiency across both services. All new births are now automatically registered with regional child health services, with no extra administrative burden placed on NHS staff.
Women using the maternity service will be able to access their records, view appointments, complete health questionnaires and receive personalised advice through a smartphone app called Airmid.
Tracy Moss, head of strategic systems’ software development at the trust, said that the system is “expected to bring a wealth of clinical as well as efficiency benefits for our maternity teams and the wider organisation. The families we care for will also benefit from the system, as the new associated Airmid patient app will allow them to view their records, access information and be more involved in their care.”
She added that the trust would like to continue to work with TPP to deploy other SystmOne products, both within the maternity unit and across the wider organisation.
FCC Insight
Maternity has been hit by a spate of scandals in recent years, with shocking stories of substandard care emerging in Shrewsbury and Telford, East Kent and Nottingham. Yet, maternity has also lagged far behind other specialisms in digitising patient records. By bringing together all the relevant patient information in a single place, and making it easily accessible, the new electronic maternity record in Torbay and South Devon will not only improve efficiency, but could have a significant impact on maternal safety. This is a positive development we would like to see all maternity units adopt.
