University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust has launched a new pregnancy app that is designed to support South Asian women and birthing people .

It is set up in 5 different South Asian languages (Urdu, Hindi, Gujarati, Bengali, and Punjabi) and English. It has diagrams and videos to provide information about medical procedures .

Launching the Janam app is a positive step following the September CQC inspection report, which concluded that Leicester maternity services require improvement.

Access to information and education for everyone who uses maternity services is vital. However, continuous improvement in the standards of maternity services, and an understanding and appreciation of cultural differences and sensitivities must also be a priority.

We understand that the Trust is taking steps to implement the CQC requirements. We hope that this results in the improvement in patient safety for everyone, including non-English speaking women and birthing people.

A further area for improvement highlighted by the CQC report was for the maternity services in Leicester to scrutinise data related to ethnicity and vulnerabilities to address inequalities in the maternity services.

We are pleased to see the launch of the Janam app. This demonstrates that the Trust is taking a positive step in the right direction to help the South Asian community in Leicester access and engage with maternity services. We look forward to hearing about the measures being taken by the Trust to ensure that all of the areas of concern highlighted in the report have been recognised and are being implemented by those delivering the services.

Click here to read more about the Janam app from the Leicester Mercury.