City maternity services get £140k boost
Digital fund grant will address ‘some inequalities’ and help ‘improve safety’
MATERNITY services in Portsmouth will be made ‘safer’ and families will ‘feel more supported’ after a grant of more than £140,000 was awarded to make digital improvements.
The money, given to Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust (PHU) from the digital maternity fund, will be used to automate administrative systems to free up staff time as well as improve wi-fi access and employ someone to lead other changes.
It will also fund additional mobile phones, computers, PC screens and laptops for all maternity teams, including our community and continuity teams.
Director of maternity and midwifery services at PHU, Lynn Woolley said: ‘We are thrilled to have been one of 128 successful bids to the digital maternity fund.
‘Digital tools are one of the ways we can improve safety, improve reporting, and share information with women and pregnant people and their families so they can feel more supported throughout their pregnancy and maternity journey.’
Dr Peter-Marc Fortune, clinical senior responsible officer for the digital child health and maternity programme at NHS England and Improvement (NHSEI) said: ‘We have seen some excellent examples of regional and local collaboration in the bids received.
‘We want funds to be used for maximum impact and to
address some of the inequalities at local level.’
Jules Gudgeon, national digital midwife lead for maternity at NHSEI, added: ‘With this funding we are one step closer to interoperable record sharing, regardless of location or system used, for the benefit of women and pregnant people and the clinicians caring for them.’
Nationally the NHS is investing £52m to ensure all parents have access to their maternity notes through a smartphone or other device by 2023.
Wewantfundstobeused for maximum impact and to address inequalities... Dr Peter-Marc Fortune