ICS reduces maternal health inequities with new digital app

CardMedic – an app which translates common clinical conversations into different languages and formats – will be used to make care more personalised, improve communication with healthcare staff, and boost safety for maternity service users in north east London.  

People using maternity services in the area will be encouraged to play a greater role in their care with the rollout of the digital tool, helping to reduce health inequalities.  

The system has been commissioned by North East London Health and Care Partnership (NEL ICS), the integrated care system which covers Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, Barts Health NHS Trust, and Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.   

It follows national reports and audits suggesting poor outcomes – particularly for those from Black, Asian, and mixed ethnic backgrounds – could have been different with more-accessible information, stronger communication, and greater cultural awareness.  

After speaking with maternity service users in north east London and understanding their experiences, it was clear that major gaps in service provision existed, with pregnant people and families often feeling they were not being listened to by staff

Alice Compton, senior project manager for maternity digital and data transformation and a digital midwife at NEL ICS, said: “After speaking with maternity service users in north east London and understanding their experiences, it was clear that major gaps in service provision existed, with pregnant people and families often feeling they were not being listened to by staff.  

“Deploying CardMedic will help us address this – giving service users the opportunity to play an active role in their care and reassuring clinicians that they are delivering the same care standards to all their patients, irrespective of their language or background.”  

NEL ICS serves a diverse and fast-growing population, with more than 250 languages spoken and 53% of residents identifying as belonging to an ethnic minority, compared to 11% across England as a whole.

It also has the highest birth rate in the country. 

CardMedic will initially be used in maternity services to address the healthcare inequalities that exist in parts of NEL and to support improvements in perinatal pelvic health among those who need extra specialist care during or after pregnancy.   

As well as providing instant translation support in a number of different languages, CardMedic can also be switched to British Sign Language and subtitles to help those who are deaf or have hearing problems, Easy Read for children or people with learning disabilities, and a ‘read aloud’ function for those with visual impairment or literacy issues.  

We know improvements need to be made to ensure pregnancy and birthing experiences are equitable, personalised, and culturally appropriate for everyone, so by getting it right for those who experience the poorest outcomes, we’ll get it right for everyone

It is also hoped this will enable maternity teams to use translation services in a more-efficient way – allowing staff to act more quickly in urgent and emergency situations and overcome communication barriers at times when translators are not available.  

Dr Rachael Grimaldi, co-founder and chief executive at CardMedic, said: “Everyone as the right to access healthcare, and communication barriers should never stand in people’s way.

“We’re proud to be a part of NEL’s journey in reducing health inequalities, improving communication between healthcare staff and families, and making care more accessible for all.”  

CardMedic will be available through acute services in NEL ICS by late summer, including maternity units and clinics run by in Barking and Dagenham, the City of London, Hackney, Havering, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets, and Waltham Forest.  

Compton said: "We know improvements need to be made to ensure pregnancy and birthing experiences are equitable, personalised, and culturally appropriate for everyone, so by getting it right for those who experience the poorest outcomes, we’ll get it right for everyone.”