Maternity services at RCHT to launch new triage system

The new assessment system, which is being rolled-out nationally, will boost high levels of patient safety and patient experience.

From Monday 04 March, the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust will be launching its new maternity service triage system.

The enhanced system, which is currently being implemented nationally, will further support the high standards of patient care already provided, allowing a consistent approach to the prioritisation of care for women, pregnant people and babies appropriate to their personal, clinical needs.

“We are really excited to be implementing this enhanced, national system,” explains Josie Dodgson, Maternity Matron for the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust. “By standardising triage and care among clinicians, other hospitals that have adopted the system have seen real benefits to the level of safe and effective care they were already providing for mothers and babies.”

BSOTS – the Birmingham Symptom-specific Obstetric Triage System – provides a framework for the standardised and timely assessment of women presenting at maternity triage. The aim of the system is to enhance communication, patient safety and patient experience.

The system was originally developed by researchers and clinicians from Birmingham Women’s Hospital and the University of Birmingham. Following the successful implementation, it is gradually being adopted by maternity services across the UK, with more than 50 hospitals having now implemented it.

Sarah Harvey-Hurst, Maternity Matron, adds: “Other hospitals that have already adopted the system have seen immediate benefits of improved communication, clearer assessment criteria and developing a shared language between clinicians, making it easier for us to provide the level of care and experience our patients have come to expect.”

“The new system manages women’s expectations regarding waiting times. At times of high demand, the new triage system enables women and pregnant people to be treated according to their clinical priority.  It also allows those with less clinical urgency to be safely supported in the waiting area and for those who require more urgent treatment to be cared for in the appropriate setting.”

“The system enables us to further enhance our high standard of care, as well as management of the department, by enabling staff to see more easily how many women and pregnant people have not yet had their initial triage assessment and to determine the level of clinical urgency. For those who have had the initial assessment, the level of clinical urgency is known for each patient.”