Maternity digital programme in Mid and South Essex shortlisted for national award
More than 4,700 maternity patients have registered for it
A digital innovation that makes it easier for women and families to access maternity information, support and advice online has been announced as a finalist in a national award.
Thousands of families have already signed up to the programme at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust.
It has made the shortlist for the Digitising Patient Care Award at the HSJ Awards.
The service gives women and anyone giving birth access to trusted information, personalised care plans, digital messages and a live maternity chat service throughout pregnancy and after birth.
The service went live in March and has now seen over 4,700 people register for it.
69% of maternity patients at the trust have signed up for it and almost 2,000 use it every month.
The Live Maternity Chat allows women to contact maternity teams with non-urgent questions. More than 700 conversations have been had during the first three months of the programme.
It has been developed by maternity teams, digital midwives and the outpatient transformation programme at the trust, alongside the Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership.
The service is now available at Southend, Broomfield and Basildon Hospitals, as well as community midwifery units in Braintree and Maldon.
Erica White, Programme Director, Digital Enablement for Outpatient Transformation, said: “We’re delighted that this work has been recognised in the HSJ Awards. This is a great example of teams working together to improve the experience of women and families using our maternity services. By bringing everything together in one place, we’ve made it easier for people to access the help they need throughout their maternity journey while creating a more joined-up service.”
Information was previously spread across phone calls, websites, paper leaflets and different digital systems.
The new service acts as a single place for families to find information and contact their care team.
Support is still available over the phone and face-to-face.