The Challenge in Women’s Health
Women’s health has long been overlooked, with significant gaps in care, accessibility, and outcomes across different demographics. The government’s Women’s Health Strategy (WHS) aims to address these disparities. However, delivering effective, scalable solutions remains a challenge.
Essential Parent is at the forefront of this shift, demonstrating how digital solutions can support women throughout their healthcare journey.
As pressures on healthcare professionals grow, innovative approaches are required to enhance service efficiency, improve access to critical health information and reduce inequalities. Technology presents a powerful tool in this transformation.
Driving Innovation in Women’s Health
Essential Parent was built in direct response to healthcare professionals’ needs. By working closely with midwifery, health visiting, and school nursing teams, we identified opportunities to reduce their administrative burden, allowing them to focus on vulnerable patients while ensuring all parents and women receive timely, evidence-based information.
Through a proactive digital approach, Essential Parent delivers personalised, trusted health content at the right time – supporting every midwifery and health visiting appointment, guiding parents from early years to adolescence, and providing accurate immunisation and public health updates. The technology adapts to the diverse needs of local populations, offering content in 75 languages and tailoring information to regional healthcare priorities.
Crucially, this model follows a preventative health strategy, engaging women early and equipping them with the knowledge to make informed decisions. Evaluations demonstrate its impact, with an 86 per cent engagement rate in Greater Manchester and strong uptake among ethnic minority and non-English-speaking communities. Additionally, 100 per cent of women surveyed across Cheshire and Merseyside stated they would continue to use the app for health and mental health information, and all respondents said they would recommend it to friends.
Beyond Data Access – Implementation Matters
While much of the current discourse around digital health focuses on data access, implementation remains the critical factor. The NHS is rich in data, but the challenge lies in turning this into meaningful action. Essential Parent bridges this gap by ensuring that critical health information reaches the right people at the right time – something that passive platforms often struggle to achieve.
The system has also been shown to improve workforce efficiency and deliver a return on investment of 4:1. By integrating seamlessly with NHS services and local authorities, it enhances, not replaces, existing healthcare structures, ensuring that digital tools work in tandem with frontline health professionals.
Essential Parent and the NHS App: A Complementary Alliance
A key discussion at the recent parliamentary roundtable on Women’s Health was how Essential Parent compares to the NHS app. Rather than being a competing platform, Essential Parent serves a distinct and complementary role.
The NHS app provides a broad library of evidence-based information and access to services such as appointment booking and prescription management. However, expecting individuals to actively seek out information presents a challenge – many will not engage without direct prompts.
Essential Parent takes a different approach, working alongside healthcare professionals to proactively push tailored health content directly to users. For example, a pregnant woman will receive relevant information precisely when she needs it – such as all the guidance required for a 36-week midwifery appointment – without having to search for it. This model increases engagement and ensures key health messages reach those who need them most.
Showcasing the Future: Women’s Health Roundtable in Parliament
The critical role of digital solutions in transforming healthcare delivery was underscored by Essential Parent’s invitation to present at the parliamentary roundtable on Women’s Health. This platform provided an opportunity to showcase how digital innovation can drive efficiency, improve access and reduce inequalities in women’s health services.
NHS Cheshire and Merseyside was selected as a case study, highlighting the success of Essential Parent in delivering targeted, accessible health information to diverse communities. The event demonstrated that scalable digital interventions can make an immediate impact and encouraged integrated care boards (ICBs) across the UK to consider similar approaches.
Looking Ahead: Scaling Innovation for Women’s Health
Women’s health services must evolve to meet the demands of modern healthcare. Digital platforms like Essential Parent offer a scalable, technology-driven solution to address inequalities, improve access and enhance efficiency.
If you are an ICB, NHS Trust, or local authority looking for a tailored digital health solution, Essential Parent is ready to support your teams and communities. The future of women’s health lies in innovation – let’s make it happen together.
Featured image via Shutterstock.
Diana Hill
DesignationCo-founder, Essential Parent
