The following is an update of the MANNERS.net (neonatal) deployment as we are coming to the end of the first 6 months of its release since April 2007. This update includes actions based on the deliberations of the Neonatal Professional Advisory Group (NPAG), the last meeting of which was held in June 2007.

1. Software

1.1 The application was rolled-out to the expected timescale across the 15 participating units;

1.2 There have been 2 workshops, 35 visits to units and 112 members of staff trained to date. This is continuing as a rolling programme for software upgrades and for new staff;

1.3 The current system is collecting the data required for the West Midlands dataset, National Neonatal Audit Project (NNAP) and National Critical Care Minimum Dataset (NCCMDS);

1.4 Regular NCCMDS exports containing all recorded critical care activities have been generated and sent to Trusts on a monthly basis;

1.5 More than 71,000 critical care activities and 1,700 high cost drugs have been recorded by system users between the period April and July 2007 inclusive;

1.6 1,763 completed admissions and 1,633 completed discharges have been recorded by units between April and August 2007 inclusive;

1.7 A standardised discharge letter function has been successfully deployed within the application and is already being used in a number of units.

2. Ongoing developments

2.1 As agreed at NPAG, the currently deployed NEMESIS (Neonatal Monthly Episode Statistics Information System) data feedback tool will be adapted to provide MANNERS.Net data outputs as agreed by the networks; expected roll-out in January 2008;

2.2 Programme of software upgrades is in place, with future releases to incorporate summary of care and further data validation functionality. The next release, due at the end of September 2007 will contain a baby category of care calculator.

3. Annual Report – 2006

3.1 As agreed by NPAG, we delayed the completion of the Annual Report whilst awaiting data from Birmingham Heartlands Hospital. Following recent news that this data will not be forthcoming, the report for the remaining has now been completed and is being circulated this week to NPAG in draft form, before its final publication in October 2007.

Manners Team
Perinatal Institute
18 September 2007