4th August 2025
Digital Health Visitor Tool Rolled Out At Health Board
The University of South Wales (USW) is celebrating a major milestone in health innovation as eFRAIT, the electronic version of the Family Resilience Assessment Instrument and Tool (FRAIT), is rolled out at Powys Teaching Health Board (PTHB), the first in Wales to adopt the digital platform in practice.
Developed by USW researchers, FRAIT is a robust, evidence-based tool that helps health visitors assess and support family resilience, a crucial factor in child health and development. It facilitates conversations around resilience and its protective factors.
FRAIT has been incorporated into the ‘Welsh Government’s Healthy Child Wales Programme’ since 2016 and was made mandatory in 2017. Today, it is used by over 1,000 health visitors across Wales, reaching more than 1.8 million family contacts to date.
“In the UK, health visitors are nurses or midwives that undertake an additional year of training. They work with families on disease and illness prevention and health promotion, Dr Michelle Thomas, Senior Lecturer in Adult Nursing and Health Visiting, explained.
“They meet with families at mandatory points in time, from birth to school age, which are linked to children’s key development stages.
“FRAIT offers them standardised and practical method for identifying families that may benefit from early intervention. Its creation addressed a major gap in evidence-based health visitor assessments.”
eFRAIT streamlines the assessment process, embedding it within digital systems. Previously, assessments were completed on paper, then scanned and uploaded into electronic systems, a disjointed and time-consuming process.
“Health visitors are really looking forward to using eFRAIT,” said Dr Thomas.
“It creates a seamless digital record and enhances how we track and respond to family needs.”
The platform has been developed by Dr Mabrouka Abuhmida, Senior Lecturer in Computing and Mathematical Sciences, who worked closely with USW’s FRAIT team to ensure the digital version replicates the original paper tool while meeting NHS standards for compatibility and data governance.
“This has been a fantastic example of cross-disciplinary and cross-sector collaboration,” said Dr Thomas.
“It’s not always easy to bridge the gap between university research and NHS systems, but our colleagues at USW and PTHB have been incredible partners.”
Health Visiting Team Leader at PTHB, Rebecca Rees said: “When USW approached us to pilot eFRAIT, we saw it as an exciting opportunity to be part of this innovative journey and become the first Health Board in Wales to trial it.
“eFRAIT reduces paperwork by automatically calculating scores and uploading directly to the child’s health record. This not only saves time but also cuts down on printing and confidential waste disposal.”
Meanwhile, a self-assessment version of FRAIT is also in pilot phase. Designed for parents to complete themselves, it helps them to reflect on their strengths and needs and can guide health visitors to offer tailored support or signpost to relevant services.
Ultimately, the team envisions FRAIT as a global model, adaptable across continents, but rooted in the realities of local culture and care.
“FRAIT is about much more than forms and data,” said Dr Thomas.
“It’s about strengthening families, supporting practitioners, and improving the health and wellbeing of children from the very start. Going digital is just the next step in making that vision more accessible and effective.”