Maternity services takes digital step forward

Maternity services at Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have launched a new electronic medical record system known as BadgerNet.

The electronic system will replace the traditional folder of handheld notes used by pregnant women and means everything is securely stored electronically.

BadgerNet can be accessed by computer or mobile app by both the woman and healthcare professionals looking after her at any time.

It also means that notes are constantly legible, as not reliant on handwriting, and everything can be automatically duplicated so midwives do not have to write the same information out several times.

It was initially being used in November by the community midwifery team for women in the early stages of pregnancy booking their antenatal care with Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals and will be gradually rolled out to other services in the coming months.

Louise Emmett, clinical midwifery manager, said: “Pregnancy and birth can be unpredictable, so in a different way to other health services women need constant access to their maternity notes; hence the traditional practice of carrying a handwritten set around in a folder. Relying on a single set of notes, however, carries obvious risk of damage or loss so moving to an electronic system is much more reliable.

“BadgerNet will definitely make our processes more efficient and longer term is part of a wider project to join up maternity services across West Surrey. We are working with Royal Surrey County Hospital and Epsom Hospital as part of the Surrey Heartlands Better Births initiative; and they are also planning to move to electronic systems. Next year we hope to join these systems up so we can provide better continuity of care for women and their babies across the region.”