Clinician Spotlight: Hayley Gill, Ngaire Bartlett and Averil Wallace, New Zealand

Hayley Gill, Ngaire Bartlett and Averil Wallace are helping shape the future of New Zealand maternity services through their work with BadgerNet.

Working in specialist midwifery and digital leadership roles across different regions, they support local maternity services, help clinicians get the most from the system and collaborate nationally to improve consistency across maternity records and workflows.

Involvement in National Work

Together, Hayley, Ngaire and Averil are all involved in national work aimed at creating greater consistency across New Zealand’s BadgerNet deployments. Through regular collaboration, they are helping develop shared approaches to configuration, education and system usage that can benefit maternity services across the motu (country).

A key goal amongst the three is to ensure that information is recorded consistently, making it easier for clinicians to find the data they need while supporting data quality and future service improvements.

The group is also passionate about sharing knowledge and resources between organisations. Rather than creating separate solutions, they regularly collaborate, exchange documentation and learn from one another’s experiences. Although their organisations vary in size and geography, all three share a passion for improving maternity care through technology, education and collaboration. Through their work, they are helping support clinicians, strengthen connections between care teams and improve the way information is shared across maternity services.

From Midwifery to BadgerNet Leadership

Hayley became involved with BadgerNet when Counties Manukau completed its implementation project in 2015. What started as temporary cover during the rollout quickly developed into a long-term role supporting the system. Since then, she has helped grow a specialist team supporting multiple maternity units across South Auckland.

For Averil, BadgerNet became an area of interest during her student and early midwifery career and developed a strong interest in understanding how it worked behind the scenes. When an opportunity arose to support the implementation of BadgerNet in Whanganui, she embraced the challenge and has continued supporting clinicians ever since.

Ngaire’s route combined years of clinical experience with a passion for education and service improvement. Having worked across community and hospital settings, she became convinced that maternity services needed better digital solutions to support māmā (women) and pēpi (babies). When the opportunity to support a BadgerNet rollout arrived, she jumped at the chance and now supports multiple districts across the Te Upoko o te Ika – Lower North Island

The Value of BadgerNet

When discussing what they value most about BadgerNet, all three clinicians highlighted the importance of a connected maternity record.

For Averil, one of the biggest benefits is the ability for multiple clinicians to access the same information at the same time. In a smaller secondary hospital that regularly works with larger referral centres, having documentation visible to receiving clinicians helps streamline care and ensures everyone has access to the information they need.

Hayley reflected on how maternity records used to be spread across multiple paper files and systems. Today, everyone involved in maternity care can contribute to the same record, making it much easier to build a complete picture of a woman’s pregnancy journey.

Ngaire also highlighted the importance of connected records, particularly when wāhine (women) move between services and regions. She believes having information available to all relevant caregivers helps support continuity of care and allows clinicians to better understand the individual’s circumstances and needs.

All three agreed that improving access to accurate, shared information has strengthened collaboration between care teams and helped create a more connected approach to care.

A Passion for Midwifery

Despite now spending much of their time supporting digital systems, the three clinicians remain passionate about midwifery.

Hayley, who has worked as a midwife for more than 26 years across a range of settings, described the profession as a privilege. Supporting women and whānau (family) during some of the most important and sometimes most vulnerable moments of their lives continues to motivate her.

Ngaire shares a similar outlook. While her current role focuses more on systems, implementation and education, she still feels driven by the opportunity to make a difference. Whether supporting colleagues or improving processes, she values being able to contribute positively to maternity services.

For Averil, midwifery has always been about empowering women and helping them feel confident during a significant life transition. She also enjoys the educational side of her work, supporting staff, sharing knowledge and helping clinicians better understand the tools available to them.

Supporting the Next Generation of Digital Clinicians

As healthcare becomes increasingly digital, all three believe adaptability and continuous learning are essential.

Ngaire highlighted the importance of attention to detail, persistence and a willingness to keep learning. Even after years working with BadgerNet, she says there is always something new to discover or a better way of doing something.

Hayley noted how much technology has evolved during her career and believes newer generations of clinicians are entering a very different environment. However, she stressed the importance of understanding both the opportunities and responsibilities that come with clinical software and digital systems, particularly around privacy and information governance.

Averil believes success often comes down to a willingness to learn rather than solely IT experience. She encourages clinicians to remain open-minded, give new systems a chance and focus on how technology can support both staff and patients.

Looking Ahead

Looking further ahead, they all see significant opportunities to improve how maternity data is captured, used and shared. From supporting national data initiatives to exploring future innovations that could help clinicians spend more time with patients and less time on administration. They are committed to ensuring BadgerNet continues to evolve alongside the needs of maternity services.

Next Steps

Why not read our BadgerNet Maternity and Neonatal brochure to see how our maternity software can benefit you and your organisation?

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