THE way pregnant women in Hampshire access urgent care is changing following the launch of a new app.

The new maternity triage service, available by downloading the Healthier Together app, will allow pregnant people to log maternity concerns during their pregnancy and have instant access to help or advice that they need.

The app was developed with the help of pregnant people in Hampshire and Isle of Wight and will ask the user to assess their symptoms before deciding if they fall into a red, amber or green category.

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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 Service (SCAS) or at the Isle of Wight ambulance station.

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The midwife will triage them and advise the caller to attend their local Maternity Day Assessment Unit (MDAU) for further assessment, if required.

The app will also provide help and advice for children. If a child is unwell and needs to be seen by a healthcare professional, GP surgeries may offer the option to use the app to directly inform them about a child’s symptoms.

A GP will then contact the parent or guardian to decide what needs to be done.

Margaret Beattie, associate director for maternity and 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, seven 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.