Auckland latest go-live with new maternity information system

NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth

Te Whatu Ora – Te Toka Tumai Auckland has gone live with the BadgerNet Global maternity clinical information system (MCIS), joining three districts that are already using the solution.

MidCentral, Tairāwhiti and Counties Manukau all upgraded to BadgerNet Global in June 2021, after using the previous BadgerNet MCIS for a number of years.

Te Toka Tumai implemented across its maternity services in May 2022. Particular functions are still under development for the clinical teams to use, including the Badger Notes function, which Auckland is planning on implementing in early 2023.

Julie Patterson, director of women’s health Te Whatu Ora – Te Toka Tumai Auckland says the Badger Notes function will allow māmā and whānau to view and interact with their own records and share these with their GP or lead maternity carer as appropriate.

“The implementation has been successful across the service and widely accepted by our clinical teams, however it has required a significant change of practice and learning,” she says.

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HealthAlliance and Clevermed have provided ongoing support throughout all stages of the rollout and the district is continuing to provide extra training and support as needed.

“Some of our kaimahi have transitioned easily however, understandably, others are still gaining confidence in using all the features of the system,” says Patterson.

“Our data management team are constantly reviewing the data and working with the clinical teams to improve the information in the system and highlight areas where clinicians can improve”.

She says the system provides improved standards of documentation, as well as timely access to, and greater visibility of, patient information that can be shared securely between some providers when required.

Also, if māmā and whānau are shifting between regions or districts that both use the BadgerNet system, the notes will be visible to the new practitioner improving safety of care.

The Te Whatu Ora agreement with Clevermed means it can provide “the capability for information management for maternity services to Districts and other parts of the sector as required”.

Darren Douglass GM digital strategy and investment says there is no current mandate for BadgerNet Global to be used nationally, but the system is available nationally.

"Decisions on system mandates are under review within the context of the Health Reforms and the investment mandate of Te Whatu Ora," he says.

“A Perinatal Spine (a secure database for storing and exchanging national maternity data in real-time) is being developed that will enable certified systems to securely record, store, view and contribute to the record of care (a specific maternity summary information data set) if those systems are not direct users of the BadgerNet Global product."

Waitemata and Bay of Plenty Districts will go-live with BadgerNet Global by Q4 of 2023, with other districts set to follow.

For further information regarding BadgerNet and the Perinatal Spine please contact teresa.omundsen@health.govt.nz, the Programme Manager for Te Whatu Ora responsible for delivering these services across the motu.

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