Digital Maternity Record Standard
This standard relates to direct patient care, describing the optimal data structure and format of a maternity record.
Contents
- Documentation
About this standard
- Publisher
- NHS England
- Also known as
- DMRS
- Reference code
- DAPB3066 Amd 01/25
- Publication date
- 31 March 2025
- Publication version
- 2.0.0
- Status
- Active
Show definitions of statuses
Active. Active standards are stable, maintained and have been approved, assured or endorsed for use by qualified bodies.
Deprecated Deprecated standards are available for use and are maintained, but are being phased out, so new functionality will not be added.
Retired standards Retired standards are not being maintained or supported and should not be used.
- Standard type
- Information standards
Show definitions of standard types
Collections. A Collection is a systematic gathering of a specified selection of data or information for a particular stated purpose from existing records held within health and care systems and electronic devices.
Extractions. An extraction is a type of collection that is pulled from an operational system by the data controller and transmitted to the receiver without additional processing or transcription by the sender.
Information standards. Information standards are agreed ways of doing something, written down as a set of precise criteria so they can be used as rules, guidelines, or definitions.
Technical Standards and specifications. Technical standards and specifications specify how to make information available technically including how the data is structured and transported.
- Contact point
england.standards.assurance@nhs.net
Using this standard
The Professional Record Standards Body (PRSB) were commissioned by NHS England to develop the following set of resources. These have been migrated into the NHS Standards Directory and will be managed by NHS England from 01 January 2026.
- Associated medias
- Describes the purpose, methodology and stakeholder engagement for developing the standard, along with the findings and recommendations for further work.
- Summarises the hazards which could result from implementing the standard.
- Details the potential hazards from implementing the standard with their risk rating and mitigation.
- Survey findings and analysis.
- Rules for implementation of the standard.
- A full list of SNOMED codes that support the Digital Maternity Record Standard.
- Glossary of terms for the Digital Maternity Standard Release 2
- Applies to
- Maternity service providers MUST implement the entire record standard.
- Ultrasonography service providers MUST implement the Scan Report Heading and all the Elements contained within that Heading.
- Other service providers with an active involvement during a pregnancy episode MAY implement the standard.
- Maternity staff MUST work with local informatics teams to ensure implementation.
- Impacts on
- Implementation of this information standard impacts all health IT systems suppliers providing systems to the above providers; suppliers should work with their customers to determine necessary changes.
- Effective from
- 31 March 2025
Topics and care settings
- Topic
- Care records
- Clinical safety
- Continuity of care
- Demographics
- Health
- Patient communication
- Referrals
- Tests and diagnostics
- Care setting
- Ambulance (Urgent and Emergency Care)
- Community health
- GP / Primary care
- Hospital
- Maternity
- Social care
- Urgent and Emergency Care
Dependencies and related standards
- Dependencies
- Healthy Child RecordProviders should become compliant with the DCB3009 Healthy Child Record standard when recording information which ultimately needs to be held within a baby's record.
- NHS Data Model and DictionaryWhere SNOMED CT codes are not appropriate, national coding from the NHS Data Model and Dictionary has been used.
- SNOMED CTThis standard needs to be reviewed and implemented alongside SNOMED CT where appropriate. The recording supplier system must be compliant with the SNOMED CT codes set out within the Maternity Record Standard Data Model Specification.Role = Documentation
- Healthy Child Record
- Related standards
This standard relates to:
Review Information
- Scope
- NHS Services
- Sponsor
Tim Ellis, Deputy Director of Programmes (Digital), NHS England
- Senior Responsible Officer
Sonia Patel, System Chief Information Officer/Director for Levelling up, NHS England
- Business Lead
- Lisa Austin, Deputy Director of Programmes, NHS England
- Contributor
- Professional Record Standards Body (PRSB)
- Approval date
- 18 March 2025
- Post Implementation review Date
- 31 December 2026
- Technical Committee
Data Assurance Board (DAB)
Legal basis
- Link to Information Standards Notice (ISN)
- View the information standards notice
Information Standards Notices (ISNs) are published to announce new or changes to information standards published under section 250 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012
- Legal authority
Section 250 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012
This information standard is published under section 250 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012
- Licence information
This standard is owned by NHS England and is made available for reuse or amendment under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL 3.0).
- Licence
Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL 3.0) https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/
More information
The Digital Maternity Record Standard will help to improve the quality of maternity care records and support better information sharing during pregnancy, birth and post-natal care.
Health and care professionals, charities, maternity IT system suppliers, representative organisations and people who had used maternity services were invited to help shape the standard through a range of consultation opportunities. The latest release reflects this collaboration.
About this standardThe primary goal of the standard is to improve safety and effectiveness in maternity care by making sure health and care records are shareable across different IT systems and healthcare providers. The standard covers antenatal to postnatal care, ensuring its adaptability for future digital updates.
Implementing the standard offers several potential benefits;- Improves safety by providing accurate and accessible patient records, reducing errors in care.
- Improves risk management and information accessibility throughout pregnancy
- Personalised care and support plan for maternity
- Informed consent tool (including decision support tools with patient information aids)
- Equality & Diversity maternity policy
- Midwifery continuity of carer
- Maternal medicine
- Fetal medicine
- Perinatal pelvic floor health
- Smoking cessation
- MEWS / NEWTT-2
- Postnatal GP
- Perinatal mental health
Page last updated: 18 December 2025