A new app has generated more than 40 ideas for improvement across Black Country Maternity Services, earning the initiative a nomination for a national award.

The Black Country Local Maternity and Neonatal System (BCLMNS) partnered with HealthTech solution ImproveWell to trial the app across Dudley, Sandwell and West Birmingham, Walsall and Wolverhampton NHS Trusts.

The BCLMNS has been nominated for a Nursing Times Workforce Award for its use of Improvewell as a way of engaging with staff about their health and wellbeing, patient care and capturing improvement ideas.

It has been nominated in the Best Employer for Staff Recognition and Engagement category and is up against nine other organisations that have also made the shortlist.

Lucy Murcott, BCLMNS Workforce Lead, said: “We are thrilled to have been shortlisted and are so pleased with how Improvewell has worked for us over the last six months.

“This collaboration started with a conversation at our Clinical Summit about how we can share ideas and suggest improvements across our system. The outcome was that we secured a three year trial of the Improvewell platform which enables staff to submit quality improvement ideas and share insights into what their day has been like.

“To date there are more than 200 Midwifery colleagues registered, and 41 improvement ideas have been submitted, which is a great start. NHS Trust leads are working closely with Improvewell to continue raising awareness of the app and driving engagement.”

Lucy added that 80 per cent of the ideas submitted didn’t need any funding to implement.

Zainab Lawal, Retention Midwife at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust said: “It is a good platform to give staff a voice and make big or small changes.”

And Gem Haselgrove, Lead Retention Midwife at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, said: “Improvewell is working very well – it allows staff to give anonymous feedback relating to whether they have had a good day or a bad day.

“I can then see trends. Staff also have the opportunity to give recommendations which go directly to me to action. I take the recommendations to the senior teams or organise further discussions with departments such as Pharmacy. I give feedback regarding the suggestion directly back to the person who submits it so that they are able to see that their idea is acknowledged and the progress I am making with it.”

The winner will be announced at The Nursing Times Workforce Summit & Awards ceremony on Thursday 28 November at The Royal Lancaster Hotel in London.