From Reviews to Action: What Ockenden and Amos Mean for Digital Transformation in Perinatal Care, hosted by Dr Jonathan Bloor, brought together national leaders in perinatal care to discuss the implications of the Ockenden and Amos reviews for digital transformation in maternity and neonatal services.

The Amos and Ockenden reviews have highlighted lots of recurring challenges across maternity and neonatal services, from communication and information sharing to risk identification and even inequalities in care.

The webinar explored how digital tools and strategies can address these challenges. The expertise of Jules Gudgeon (Chief Midwifery Information Officer, NHS England), Karen Jewell (Chief Midwifery Officer, Welsh Government), and Tony Kelly (National Speciality Advisor, National Maternity and Neonatal Programme, NHS England) helped shape the discussion.

Listening to Women and Families

A recurring theme throughout the discussion was that capturing feedback is only part of the process. The real challenge is ensuring that information shared by women and families influences care, decision-making and service improvement.

Examples discussed included the use of perinatal experience measures, patient portals, messaging services and emerging technologies such as ambient voice technology. These tools can help create more accurate records of conversations and reduce the need for women to repeatedly share the same information throughout their care journey.

The discussion also highlighted the importance of ensuring all voices are heard.

By:

  • Reaching people in communities
  • Addressing language barriers
  • Improving translation support

Information Flow and Interoperability

The panel recognised that fragmented digital records across healthcare remain a significant challenge.

While many services have moved away from paper records, sometimes information is still spread across multiple systems that do not communicate effectively with one another.

Work is already underway to improve how information moves across care settings. In England, this includes the development of national digital specifications and work towards a Single Patient Record, while Wales has implemented BadgerNet across maternity and neonatal services.

Alongside these developments, organisations continue to focus on improving integration between hospital systems to support continuity of care, particularly when women and babies move between services.

A key point from the discussion was that interoperability is not simply about sharing more data. The priority is ensuring that relevant information is available to the right people at the right time.

The Opportunity is Shifting from Documenting Care to Supporting Care

Missed opportunities to recognise and respond to risk were central findings in both reviews.

Digital tools such as AI and clinical decision support can help with early identification and management of risk. Helping teams move from a more retrospective documentation to proactive intervention.

Holistic use of large datasets and integrated risk assessments across systems can reduce duplication and improve accuracy. Real-time dashboards help organisations monitor safety and respond to pressures.

The discussion highlighted the opportunity to move beyond documenting risks after something has happened and instead use technology to identify potential risks earlier. Creating more timely interventions will support safer care for women and babies.

Better Data Starts with Understanding Why it Matters

The panel stressed the importance of collecting relevant data, not just for reporting, but to drive improvement.

In order to achieve better data, clinicians must understand the impact of good data entry. Organisations should also feed data back to teams to foster engagement and improvement. Focusing on critical fields and process measures, rather than overwhelming staff with excessive data requirements, is key to improving quality.

Continuous improvement in perinatal services depends on high-quality, meaningful data, clinician ownership, and feedback that link data to actionable change.

Digital Transformation Must Include Everyone

Both reviews called out inequalities and the risk of digital exclusion. Wales assesses digital access at every interaction, providing devices and connectivity to those in need. England’s Good Things Foundation offers similar support. Industry partners must involve service users from the outset to ensure solutions address real-world needs and minimise exclusion. Holistic assessments and translation tools are essential for reaching all families, including those with language or literacy barriers.

Digital transformation must actively address digital exclusion to ensure equitable access and participation for all women and families.

Next Steps

You can watch the full webinar, which is now available on demand.

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