A NEW urgent care app has been launched in Southampton to support pregnant mums.
A new maternity triage app has been launched in a bid to transform the way pregnant women access urgent care.
The service, which is available by downloading the Healthier Together app, launched this week.
It will allow pregnant women in Southampton and Hampshire to log any maternity concerns they may have during their pregnancy and get instant access to the help or advice that they need.
The app will ask users to assess their symptoms and it will then decide if they fall into a red, amber or green category.
Red means these issues will be classed as an emergency and will require the pregnant person to call 999.
Amber means 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.
If 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 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 also provides help and advice for children as well as pregnant people.
The NHS Healthier Together app can be downloaded either from the Apple app store, or the Google Play store.
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