PREGNANT women who receive maternity care from one of the four hospital trusts in Lancashire and South Cumbria are set to benefit from a single maternity portal innovation, helping to make care safer for them and their babies.

More than 18,000 women give birth across the Lancashire and South Cumbria maternity system each year, and the new single maternity record will enable their pregnancy notes to be shared between hospitals and health services.

The new system will mean:

• A reduction in the duplication of work with staff only needing to input clinical information once;

• Mums-to-be will only be asked for information once even if they are booked for their care to be shared between any of our hospitals;

• Linking up information between midwives, GPs, health visitors and obstetricians, giving them easy access to mum’s information.

• Pregnant women will no longer need to carry their paper record with them at all times if they visit family and friends in different towns and cities locally.

Vanessa Wilson, Programme Director - Women's and Children's Services, said: “This is great news for expectant parents in Lancashire and South Cumbria and we are confident that it will bring significant advantages to their care.

“It will also be so much easier for our staff to have all of the information they need to make a clinical decision, ensuring care is consolidated, driving better quality and outcomes.”

Janet Cotton, Divisional Midwifery and Nursing Director, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “At Lancashire Teaching Hospitals we are delighted to hear this system is being implemented within our Trust and the local maternity system. This is a vital step in our digital transformational journey that will enhance and inform women’s experience of care in Lancashire and South Cumbria.”

Jane Stephenson, Chief Operating Officer of software designer Clevermed Ltd. said:

“We are delighted to be working with Lancashire and South Cumbria to create a joined-up record for women and clinicians throughout the region.”

The software is scheduled to be rolled out across the different hospital trusts throughout the first half of 2021, and staff will receive full training.