Liverpool Women’s Hospital is celebrating an awards triumph at the prestigious Royal College of Midwives (RCM) Awards for their maternity triage project in the Outstanding Contribution to Midwifery Services category.
This recognition, which focused on improving safety and quality of care, is for a Maternity Triage Team project which looked at utilising technology to improve triage waiting times, performance compliance, and the patient experience in the Maternity Assessment Unit (MAU) at Liverpool Women’s.
The project was initiated in January 2023 and focused on the adoption of the Birmingham Symptom Specific Obstetric Triage System (BSOTS) which aims to enhance triage efficiency and prioritisation in the Maternity Assessment Unit (MAU). The system aimed to triage all women within 15 minutes of their arrival. However, early assessments identified challenges in meeting these targets, particularly concerning patient safety and experience.
To address these issues, an MAU improvement group was formed, comprising of midwives, service users, digital experts, and leadership teams. They identified key issues to address, such as data entry methods and the overreliance on manual documentation.
The digital midwives developed a comprehensive training program to improve the quality of data entry into the electronic patient records system, replacing manual whiteboards with a digital solution. This included the development of a digital report displayed on an interactive whiteboard, providing real-time oversight of clinical activities and BSOTS compliance. This innovation allowed for better management of patient flow and prioritisation of care.
The team’s work not only improved patient waiting times and experience but also served as a model for other Trusts seeking to implement similar digital solutions for clinical management.
The RCM Awards ceremony took place at The Brewery in London on Friday 18 October 2024, and members of the LWH maternity team were there to collect the award.
Heledd Jones, Head of Midwifery, said: “This recognition by the RCM highlights the service’s commitment to improving maternity care and the patient experience. I am incredibly proud of everyone involved in the project and for the ongoing work our maternity team does day in day out to keep women and families safe. It is in another example of how Liverpool Women’s stands out as a specialist hospital for women’s health and is at the forefront of innovating maternity care.”
You can read more about the RCM Awards 2024 here: https://www.rcmawards.com/