A new app being rolled out across Somerset has taken Musgrove Park Hospital maternity services into the digital age.

The 'BadgerNotes' app has been introduced to NHS Somerset Foundation Trust hospitals' maternity services, with patients set to benefit from the new technology.

The app provides instant access to patients of their clinical notes via their smartphone or tablet. BadgerNotes is accompanied by a consolidated record keeping system, known as BadgerNet.

BadgerNet is set to replace all paper patient notes and current electronic systems to become the main pregnancy record across Somerset.

NHS Somerset Foundation Trust, which runs Musgrove Park Hospital, said: "Our clinicians and midwives will be able to record information in the same way across the county wherever they are caring for you."

"Be that in a hospital, birthing centre or in your own home. It will also fully replace the hand-held notes that are traditionally carried around throughout pregnancy."

The new app will also hold useful information which will enable midwives to provide appointment reminders and share updates to their patients.

Sallyann King, Director of Midwifery for Somerset, said: “This is extremely exciting for colleagues and families using our maternity services. It has been a long time coming and we’ve known that paper notes have needed to be digitised for a long time, but finding theright solution is so important."

The rollout comes after the Badger tech had been taken up by NHS trusts across the region, including the neighbouring county of Dorset.