A DIGITAL innovation that makes it easier for women and families to access maternity information, support and advice online has been announced as a finalist in a national award.

Thousands of families have already benefited from the programme at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust which has made the shortlist for the Digitising Patient Care Award at the HSJ Awards.

The service gives women and birthing people access to trusted information, personalised care plans, digital messages and a live maternity chat service throughout pregnancy and after birth.

Since going live in March this year, more than 4,700 maternity patients have registered on the Trust's Patients Know Best (PKB) portal for maternity services, which works alongside the NHS App. This represents around 69 per cent of maternity patients in mid and south Essex, with almost 2,000 people using the service each month.

Live maternity chat has made it easier for women to contact maternity teams with non-urgent questions. More than 700 conversations were started during the first three months, helping women access advice at a time that suits them, supporting their care day or night.

The programme was developed by maternity teams, digital midwives and the outpatient transformation programme at the Trust, alongside the Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership. It is now available at maternity units in Basildon, Broomfield and Southend hospitals, as well as community midwifery units in Braintree and Maldon.

Erica White, Programme Director, Digital Enablement for Outpatient Transformation, said: "We're delighted that this work has been recognised in the HSJ Awards. This is a great example of teams working together to improve the experience of women and families using our maternity services. By bringing everything together in one place, we've made it easier for people to access the help they need throughout their maternity journey while creating a more joined-up service."

Previously, maternity information was spread across phone calls, websites, paper leaflets and different digital systems. The new service provides a single place where families can find information, contact their care team and access support. However, women can still receive support on the telephone, face-to-face and via community services if they want to.

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The programme has also allowed the Trust to retire a separate maternity communications system, creating a simpler experience for patients and expected savings of around £90,000 a year.

The HSJ Awards celebrate innovation and improvement across UK healthcare, with winners set to be announced in October.