Oh, the hours I spent clutching my tatty old paper chart waiting to see my midwife.

Now mamas-to-be everywhere can breathe a sign of relief that times are finally a-changin'.

Ireland will be the first country in the world to have a single electronic health record system for all its maternity hospitals.

In a nutshell, it will mean that all mother and baby records will be linked to a single digital hub.

So everyone involved in the care of mums and babies in Irish maternity units will have instant access to ALL current clinical details of you and your little newbie.

Richard Corbridge from the HSE who is overseeing the project says this system is a game-changer:

“This is the single most important development for improved care in Irish maternity services.  The MN-CMS allows immediate access to a complete clinical history, 24-hours a day, including results of medical investigations.  It ensures that ongoing patient care is based on the most up to date, comprehensive, accurate information”

Until now, many hospitals in Ireland relied on mothers paper records to also record a baby's health. Now babies will also get their little own electronic health record.

The system's aim is to improve communications and provide safer care.  The national rollout is based on the successful trial of the system currently Cork University hospital, the Rotunda and the National Maternity Hospital (Holles Street) in Dublin

Richard says they are looking at rolling it out for everyone:

“This is a first step to the delivery of an Electronic Health Record for everyone, and there is no better place to start this journey than in the maternity service of Ireland”

We think this is wonderful news that is wildly overdue..