A modern health electronic health record system which means women and birthing people can digitally access their pregnancy and maternity records has been rolled out across Humber and North Yorkshire.
BadgerNet, along with its accompanying parent portal, Badger Notes, replaces the traditional handheld paper notes for maternity care.
Through the BadgerNotes app, women and birthing people can now conveniently access their pregnancy and maternity records from their mobile phones.
The app provides real-time updates after each visit or appointment, offering people greater control and transparency over their care. Users can also personalise their own records by adding details such as their occupation, allergies, and preferences for pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care. This shift marks a significant step forward in empowering mothers and improving the maternity care experience.
Not only are there several benefits to patients, the new system means that midwives don’t have to enter the same information into both paper notes and the electronic system, freeing up some of their valuable time.
The rollout of BadgerNET aligns with the digital aspirations of NHS partners across Humber and North Yorkshire, a theme we’re exploring further during We Need to Talk – our four-week “big conversation” with people about the future of the NHS in our area. Details of how people can have their say are at www.ourNHS.org
Liz Davies, Digital Midwife from Hull University Teaching Hospital added: “With BadgerNet now live in every Trust in Humber and North Yorkshire, a complete maternity record can now be seen right across the region rather than just within one Trust. This ensures a seamless transition when transferring patients between units. All healthcare professionals involved are fully informed of the patient’s history, risk factors, and care plans, ensuring the safest possible care.”
The new system is also driving a huge environmental benefit, reducing the amount of paper our hospitals will be using and supporting the Greener NHS programme.
Stephanie Porter, Sustainability Lead for NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) said: “We are always looking for ways to make our services as environmentally friendly as possible. In the NHS we are working towards achieving net zero by 2040. It is through positive changes like BadgerNet that we will reach our goals, limit our impact on the environment and make a significant difference to the public’s health.”
Discussing the benefits of the new BadgerNet system, Laura Caldicott, a Midwife from Scunthorpe General Hospital said: “This is a great system that will make a huge difference to women and birthing people’s pregnancy journey.
“Before we had this system, people had to remember to bring their notes to all their appointments and we had a separate set of paper records at the hospital. Now, our community and hospital based maternity teams can record and access all the information they need, when they need it.”
Initial survey feedback from those using BadgerNotes in York and Scarborough has been positive. The feedback shows that pregnant women and birthing people value the convenience of their records being on their phones and the security of their records when compared to paper notes.
Becky Case, the Programme Director for the Local Maternity and Neonatal System said: “This digital breakthrough is a huge milestone for our Local Maternity and Neonatal System. We are so grateful for how hard our midwifery workforce continues to work, they have embraced this new system and have implemented it safely and effectively.
“BadgerNet also supports choice around maternity care; ensuring that we give women and birthing people in our area the opportunity to personalise their experience, have a say, and feedback on their experiences,” continued Becky. “We are incredibly committed to inclusion, so women and birthing people can still use paper maternity notes if they need to or would prefer not to access their notes digitally. Information can be made available in different languages, and we can support those with different disabilities as needed.”