Portsmouth pregnant women promised better access to care plans through new app
PREGNANT women will now be able to stay digitally connected with their midwives.
From Monday, February 22, pregnant women will be able to access their personalised care plans online and via an app, My Maternity Notes.
Through this system, run by Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, women can see their care plans, set up appointment notifications and send questions directly to their midwife.
Meanwhile, midwives, maternity support workers, doctors and others can spend more time on specialist care and make information more accessible.
Charlotte Burley, one of Portsmouth’s digital midwives, said: ‘As a team we are so excited about what this will mean for women in our care, and our staff.
‘It has been a really tough year for the NHS, but this positive change will improve everything we do, and crucially give us more time to continue delivering safe and efficient care to women, families and their babies.
‘For the women in our care to be able to review their maternity care and access information about their pregnancy from an app, is a vast improvement to what we offer currently.’
The app is an ongoing project with maternity services across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
In time, it is hoped that the app will be fully implemented for both maternity teams and pregnant women to move seamlessly between the two NHS trusts, making the service more accessible.
Elizabeth Fellows, chair and clinical executive of NHS Portsmouth CCG, added: ‘This is a really positive development in helping to deliver the best care to women during pregnancy.
‘Given the preference to interact online by so many in the age groups accessing maternity services it’s good news that they will now be able to review their care plan and additional information this way, as well as ask questions to their midwife.
‘Those women who can’t get online will still be supported using the current paper system.’
Women who already have traditional ‘purple’ pregnancy notes will continue to use these until they are admitted to hospital.
For more information see pregnotes.net.