Maternity services across County Durham and Darlington are introducing a new online system to support expectant mums through pregnancy.

Women attending for their first appointment will be offered the choice to download the Badgernet app which will enable them to access their notes as well as a range of information leaflets and support throughout their pregnancy.

The app also means midwives and other healthcare professionals can add to maternity notes in real-time, through an on-line portal, whether the expectant mum’s appointment takes place in hospital, the community or at home. Information will be held very securely and cannot be accessed without the correct login details.

Andrea Bracewell, digital midwife at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, said; “This is a very exciting development both for our expectant mums locally and for the future of our maternity services. Women will be able to access their pregnancy notes electronically through this app, on their mobile phone, ipads or laptop. They can also add their plans and preferences for when they give birth and share information with their midwives between visits. Ultimately it will support mums to have more control of their pregnancy records and care notes.

“Midwives and our maternity healthcare professionals will be able to access and update notes on a single system which will help improve access to information and reduce time taken for administrative tasks, allowing us to spend more time with women, babies and families.”

The BadgerNet system will replace paper maternity notes given to expectant mums at the Trust’s hospitals including University Hospital of North Durham and Darlington Memorial Hospital.