The way pregnant people across Hampshire, Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight access urgent care is transforming with a new urgent care maternity triage app.
The new maternity triage service, which is available by downloading the Healthier Together app, from today (Monday 28 November), will allow pregnant people to log any maternity concerns they may encounter during their pregnancy and have instant access to the help or advice that they need. This new service has been developed with the help of pregnant people across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight
The app will ask the user to assess their symptoms and it will then decide if they fall into a red, amber or green category. The outcomes of those categories are:
Red: These issues will be classed as an emergency and will require the pregnant person to call 999.
Amber: The user will be advised to call the maternity triage line if the concern is maternity related or will be advised to contact their GP surgery, or call 111 if out of hours.
For both the red and amber categories the user can press a button on the app and they will automatically be connected to the service that has been recommended.
Green: The user will be directed to information to self-care at home.
If the user is directed to call the maternity triage line, they will be connected to a midwife either at South Central Ambulance Services (SCAS) in Otterbourne or at the Isle of Wight ambulance station. They will be triaged by midwives and, if required, advised to attend their local Maternity Day Assessment Unit (MDAU) for further assessment.
Margaret Beattie, Associate Director for Maternity & Early Years at the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board said: “This a brilliant new service which will allow pregnant people to have access to consistent advice, as and when they need it, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
“The maternity triage line is there to help women and pregnant people who are having serious issues with their pregnancy and need to speak to one of our brilliant midwives however many concerns can be resolved at home using the advice provided within the app.”
The NHS Healthier Together app can be downloaded either from the Apple app store, or the Google Play store.
The NHS Healthier Together app also provides help and advice for children as well as pregnant people. If your child is unwell and needs to be seen by a healthcare professional, instead of having to call your GP surgery, your surgery may offer you the option to use the app to directly inform them about your child’s symptoms. They will then contact you to decide what needs to be done. And if you are seeking help when your GP surgery is shut, it will direct you to NHS 111.
