Case Study: Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals improves access to midwifery advice with NHS Employers' Maternity Direct+

Building an innovative digital service for maternity patients

NHS Employers helped Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust address a growing need from pregnant women and new mothers for quick, trustworthy, non-urgent advice outside normal appointments. The trust wanted a better way to handle the many routine phone calls and text messages reaching midwives while also improving access to maternity information and supporting patient choice.

Using the Social Media Tool Kit for the NHS, NHS Employers supported the launch of Maternity Direct+, a Facebook-based “Internet midwife” service that answered messages seven days a week and shared evidence-based health information. The pilot saw direct messaging grow from 30 contacts in December 2015 to 314 in July 2016, with 31,000 post engagements, 21,000 clicks, 3,700 likes, and very high satisfaction: 67% of users found responses extremely helpful and 77% were extremely likely to recommend the service.

Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals