Limerick hospital implements new electronic system to improve quality of care

THE University Maternity Hospital Limerick (UMHL), HSE Mid West, has become the fifth hospital in Ireland to implement the national Maternal & Newborn Clinical Management System (MN-CMS). 

This is a significant advancement in the delivery of maternity, neonatology, and gynaecology care across the region. The MN-CMS went live at UMHL on Saturday, July 5 and on Monday, July 7, at the Ambulatory Gynaecology Unit at Nenagh Hospital, including menopause and fertility services.

UMHL joins Cork University Maternity Hospital, University Hospital Kerry, the Rotunda Hospital, and the National Maternity Hospital in this national initiative.

The MN-CMS electronic health record (EHR) replaces paper-based records enabling doctors, midwives, nurses, and allied health professionals to access up-to-date patient information instantly. This strengthens communication across hospital and community services, supporting safer, more coordinated care for women and newborns.

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The key benefits of MN-CMS include enhanced patient safety through real-time access to clinical information and improved decision-making, streamlined, high-quality documentation that reduces duplication and ensures legibility, improved communication among multidisciplinary teams, ensuring seamless care across hospital and community settings, support for research, audit, and data-driven management at local and national levels, compliance with GDPR in protecting patient privacy while enabling secure information sharing.

Dr Mendinaro Imcha, Clinical Director of Maternal & Child Health, HSE Mid West, stated; “The MN-CMS is a major step forward in enhancing safe, coordinated, and evidence-based care across UMHL. It ensures a more seamless experience for women and families, with stronger communication and decision-making support for our teams.”

Eileen Ronan, Director of Midwifery at UMHL, added; “The electronic system will help make the patient journey safer and easier, improving access to clear records for all involved in care.”

The national MN-CMS EHR project board was set up in 2007. Following detailed design in consultation with each of the country’s 19 maternity units, and appointment of the vendor, Cerner, in 2014, phased roll-out of the MN-CMS EHR began in 2016, continuing in line with the requirements of the National Woman and Infants Health Programme (NWIHP). The system will be deployed to the remaining 14 hospitals in the future phases.

Fran Thompson, Chief Information Officer, HSE, said, “The work undertaken by the team at UMHL has been exemplary. The clinical and management leadership combined with the staff dedication has ensured a very successful go live, thus improving and supporting safe digital healthcare. Digitally enabled and connected care as well as empowering patients to be a partner in their healthcare journey are key aims of our Digital for Care programme.”

The introduction of the MN-CMS EHR marks a key milestone in the HSE’s commitment to delivering safe, integrated and person-centred care. Over the coming years the MN-CMS EHR will be extended to maternity hospitals nationwide as part of this transformative initiative.