Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Maternal & Newborn Clinical Management System (MN-CMS) is a pathfinder project towards developing a National Healthcare Electronic Record. The project started with the realisation that healthcare interaction in the future will ultimately be digital and it follows the strategic direction set out in the eHealth strategy for Ireland published in 2013.

Although the MN-CMS is primarily about the documentation and communication of mother and baby clinical information, there are a number of other components. These include order communications (blood investigations, microbiological investigations, ultrasound, procedures) and drug prescribing. The MN-CMS project encompasses a wide range of stakeholders including midwives, obstetricians, neonatologists, anaesthetists and others in both the community and allied health specialties. Most importantly, the Maternal and Newborn Clinical Management System aims to help put the patients at the centre of the care plan.

The programme is a large, complex business change and technological project. The system went live in Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) in December 2016 and the Maternity Unit in University Hospital Kerry in March 2017. Integration between the GP’s ICT system and the MN-CMS in the Cork region is due to commence on the 31st October. Following successful sign-off of the integration, it will be deployed to all GPs interacting with the Maternal & Newborn Clinical Management System.

As with any large-scale change programme there are lessons to be taken from the initial deployment and continuous process improvements to both the IT system and the workflows. Healthcare deployment of technology must always ensure that patient safety considerations are to the fore. The improvements are currently being deployed into both existing hospitals and the next hospitals due to implement the MN-CMS are the Rotunda Hospital and the National Maternity Hospital. I can confirm that the HSE have informed me that the Rotunda Hospital is due to go-live with the MN-CMS in November 2017 followed by the National Maternity Hospital in early 2018 and subsequently to all the remaining Maternity Hospital Units.

The changes brought about through the implementation of the MN-CMS have had a positive impact on the hospitals who have deployed it. The MN-CMS has brought about improvement in the management of patient information, patient safety and the communication between clinical teams. It has led to standardisation of information collection and in the future will lead to standardisation of care. Its future success will depend on a positive multi-disciplinary approach and a determination to be part of setting new national and international standards.