Powys Teaching Health Board rolls out digital tool for health visitors

Powys Teaching Health Board (PTHB) has become the first health board in Wales to roll out the eFRAIT digital tool for health visitors.

The tool is an electronic version of the Family Resilience Assessment Instrument and Tool (FRAIT) developed by researchers from the University of South Wales (USW), to help health visitors with decision making, care planning and planning for further interventions and resources.

FRAIT has been incorporated into the Welsh government’s ‘Healthy Child Wales Programme’ since 2016 and was made mandatory in 2017.

It is used by more than 1,000 health visitors across Wales, reaching more than 1.8 million family contacts to date.

Dr Michelle Thomas, senior lecturer in adult nursing and health visiting at USW, said: “In the UK, health visitors are nurses or midwives that undertake an additional year of training. They work with families on disease and illness prevention and health promotion.

“They meet with families at mandatory points in time, from birth to school age, which are linked to children’s key development stages.

“FRAIT offers them standardised and practical method for identifying families that may benefit from early intervention. Its creation addressed a major gap in evidence-based health visitor assessments.

“Health visitors are really looking forward to using eFRAIT. It creates a seamless digital record and enhances how we track and respond to family needs.”

eFRAIT simplifies the assessment process, embedding it within digital systems. Previously, assessments were completed on paper, then scanned and uploaded into electronic systems, which is a time-consuming process.

The platform has been developed by Dr Mabrouka Abuhmida, senior lecturer in computing and mathematical sciences, who worked closely with USW’s FRAIT team to ensure the digital version replicates the original paper tool while meeting NHS standards for compatibility and data governance.

Rebecca Rees, health visiting team leader at PTHB, said: “When USW approached us to pilot eFRAIT, we saw it as an exciting opportunity to be part of this innovative journey and become the first Health Board in Wales to trial it.

“eFRAIT reduces paperwork by automatically calculating scores and uploading directly to the child’s health record. This not only saves time but also cuts down on printing and confidential waste disposal.

She added: “FRAIT is about much more than forms and data. It’s about strengthening families, supporting practitioners, and improving the health and wellbeing of children from the very start.

“Going digital is just the next step in making that vision more accessible and effective.”

A self-assessment version of FRAIT, which is designed for parents to complete themselves, is also in pilot phase. It helps them to reflect on their strengths and needs and can guide health visitors to offer tailored support or signpost to relevant services.

Meanwhile, in May 2025, PTHB selected Better as its technology partner to deliver an electronic prescribing and medicines administration system to help streamline prescribing by replacing the use of paper.