Electronic health record to enhance maternity care at Cavan General Hospital
The HSE have announced that Women and families attending Cavan General Hospital will soon benefit from safer, more connected maternity care as the hospital prepares to introduce the Maternal & Newborn Clinical Management System (MN‑CMS), Ireland’s national electronic health record for maternity services.
The new system will give clinicians secure, real-time access to patient information, helping to support faster, safer and more coordinated care throughout pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period. MN‑CMS provides a single electronic chart that can be securely shared, where appropriate, across maternity, neonatology and gynaecology services, as well as with community and primary care. This reduces duplication, supports smoother transitions between hospital and community care, and ensures the care team has timely access to the information they need.
Replacing paper charts with secure digital records for mothers and babies, will align Cavan General Hospital with other maternity units nationwide. MN‑CMS is already implemented in several hospitals and regions. The system now supports approximately 62% of all births in Ireland, strengthening communication across hospital and community services.
“Introducing the MN‑CMS electronic health record is a real team achievement for Cavan General Hospital,” said Laura Waters, General Manager. “Our maternity, midwifery, medical, nursing and administrative staff are working together with regional and national colleagues on this important project so that women, babies and families will benefit from safer, more joined-up and modern maternity services as it comes on stream. This reflects our commitment to improving the care we provide for our community.”
“Rolling out MN‑CMS in this region highlights the impact of close collaboration between frontline teams, the national programme and our technology partners,” said Richard Roddy (RGN MSc), Regional Chief Nursing and Midwifery Information Officer. “By adding our maternity services to the growing number of sites using the MN‑CMS electronic health record, women and babies in this part of the country will benefit from more joined-up, data-informed and patient-focused care, while we contribute to the wider HSE Digital for Care 2030 strategy.”
For women, babies and families using maternity services at Cavan General Hospital, MN‑CMS will mean: Clinicians will have real-time access to a single, up-to-date record for mother and baby, supporting timely, informed clinical decision-making during pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period.