We need innovative methods to deliver digital training for midwives

Increasing pressures on maternity services require more innovative ways to deliver essential digital training to midwives, writes Jennifer Lyons, digital clinical lead – maternity at University Hospitals of Northamptonshire 

Maternity services are experiencing unprecedented pressures and heightened scrutiny, driven by the need to improve services and outcomes for families.

This increased oversight demands greater awareness among staff and has resulted in the introduction of numerous reporting tools, safety measures, new initiatives and changes to the way care is provided.

In turn this has led to an increase in the training requirements for maternity staff. Many units have adopted a dedicated training week for maternity staff, concentrating much essential learning into this one-week period.

The need for data-driven safe care has meant that larger volumes of more robust data and evidence are needed to support the quality of care provided. Digital technology has expanded to facilitate this, and most units now use digital records for most of the patient journey.

The maternity workforce has varying levels of digital skills, and the increased reliance on digital tools brings additional risks

While the transition to digital systems has brought significant benefits, it has also introduced new challenges. For example, the workforce has varying levels of digital skills and abilities, and the increased reliance on digital tools brings additional risks, such as cyber security threats.

In addition, staff must now quickly adapt to frequent updates to digital platforms and software, which can at times disrupt established workflows.

All maternity staff should feel staff feel confident and competent in using these systems. This is essential, not only for patient safety, but to meet regulatory requirements and maintain high standards of care.

Game playing to meet the challenges

To bridge the skills gap, improve data quality, and address clinical safety concerns, most digital midwives now include digital training sessions during the maternity annual training week. However, delivering robust training in a meaningful way, in a packed training schedule, is itself a challenge.

In response to this challenge, I developed an innovative training programme to actively engage staff while using the digital system during my previous role as lead digital midwife at Oxford University Hospitals Foundation Trust.

The programme took the form of a tabletop escape room game, with clues hidden within the training platform of the digital system. Participants navigated the system, solved clues, and uncovered four numbers that unlocked a padlock, earning them a prize.

This hands-on approach encouraged collaborative problem-solving and enabled staff to directly interact with the digital system in a controlled, supportive environment.

The session was competitive yet friendly; the aim was to foster teamwork and discussion, and to make the training memorable. As staff worked through the game, the digital maternity team were on hand to observe and support those playing the game and provide immediate feedback and tailored guidance as needed.

Clues addressed learning themes

The clues addressed key learning themes, such as responding to a cyber security breach and knowing downtime processes, safeguarding documentation, system navigation, and recognising critical alerts.

The game lasted approximately 30 minutes, followed by 20 minutes of discussion to reinforce the main themes and their significance. This structure allowed participants not only to practise technical skills, but also to link the theory to practice. It also gave them time to reflect and share insights from their own experiences, strengthening the learning outcomes.

During the first year of implementation, 424 staff members participated in the training game. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive: 91% of participants said they would recommend the game to others, while only 1% said they definitely would not.

Notably, 94% felt the game helped them relate the learning points to real-world use of the digital system, indicating that even those who would not recommend the training still benefited from the learning.

Positive comments highlighted the engaging nature of the training, as well as the quality of the learning. Some areas for improvement were identified, including the need to update equipment during sessions, poor connectivity, and a desire for longer sessions.

These suggestions enabled us to make some simple changes to the delivery, with newer equipment to ensure a better game experience.

There is a responsibility to ensure that digital skills training is both interesting and robust

While not all clinical informaticians have training responsibilities, digital midwives often do. Where this is the case, there is a responsibility to ensure that digital skills training is both interesting and robust, and to share and learn from successful innovations in this area.

Accordingly, this training programme has been blueprinted by NHS England to enable wider adoption. You can access the blueprint and replicate it in your own areas.

Embracing creative approaches to digital training not only enhances staff engagement it also ensures vital knowledge is retained long after the session ends.

As pressures on maternity services continue to increase, finding innovative methods to deliver essential learning is not a luxury but a necessity. Such approaches empower teams to provide safer, smarter care for families now and in the future.

Jennifer Lyons is digital clinical lead – maternity at University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group. She developed the digital training game while in her previous role as lead digital midwife at Oxford University Hospitals Foundation Trust.