We are delighted to share the inspiring story of Aaron Salter from Pilgrims Hospices in East Kent, winner of the Digital Champion Award at the Hospice UK Conference 2024. His remarkable work exemplifies the power of digital innovation in transforming healthcare delivery.

A milestone of digital transformation

As a social enterprise dedicated to supporting other healthcare organisations use data and analytics, we were proud to sponsor an award that celebrates individuals driving meaningful change in hospice care. Aaron’s recognition is not just a personal achievement but an inspiration for how technology can revolutionise patient care.

The challenge: Fragmented data, fragmented care

In 2022, Pilgrims Hospices faced a real challenge: inconsistent data collection and reporting across their three Inpatient Units (IPUs). This variability created significant obstacles:

• Difficulty in making informed decisions about patient care
• Challenges in identifying and addressing performance disparities
• Limited ability to ensure uniform, high-quality care across different sites

Aaron’s innovative approach

Recognising the transformative potential of data, Aaron embarked on a mission to standardise and enhance data management. The Digital Champion Award criteria perfectly captured his journey:

1. Problem identification: Addressing data inconsistency and its impact on care quality
2. Technological solution: Implementing a unified data collection and reporting framework
3. Organisational innovation: Creating a replicable model for data-driven healthcare
4. Stakeholder engagement: Collaborating across teams to drive meaningful change
5. Measurable impact: Demonstrating the potential for scalable, improved patient care

Why this matters

In the realm of hospice and palliative care, every piece of data represents someone’s life and story. Aaron’s work goes beyond numbers, it’s about ensuring that every patient receives personalised, high-quality care that respects their unique journey.

His achievement reinforces our belief that technology, when thoughtfully applied, can be a powerful tool for compassionate healthcare. Congratulations, Aaron Salter – a true Digital Champion who is redefining what’s possible in hospice care.

Reflections from Matthew Riley, Head of Informatics at Here

The conference highlighted a critical challenge facing hospices: the pressing need to demonstrate their value within the healthcare ecosystem to secure sustainable NHS funding. With direct cost pressures mounting, it’s becoming increasingly clear that traditional charitable funding may not be sufficient to support hospices in the long term without innovative strategies.

In the current constrained commissioning landscape, data has emerged as a powerful tool for validation. As one presenter succinctly noted, “commissioners will pay for what they can measure.” This insight has prompted a promising collaborative approach among hospices, who are now pooling their data—often aligned with Integrated Care Board (ICB) geographical boundaries—to illustrate their collective impact.

This collaborative data-sharing represents an exciting and progressive development for the hospice sector. By aggregating and presenting comprehensive evidence of their contributions, hospices are positioning themselves to make a compelling case for continued and potentially expanded NHS support. In an era of increasing financial scrutiny, robust and meaningful data will be more crucial than ever in securing the resources necessary to maintain and enhance hospice services.

The essential role of hospices and the need for public support

Hospices provide vital care and support to children and adults living with long-term illnesses or approaching the end of their lives.

In 2022-23, hospices across the UK provided palliative and end of life care to 300,000 and provided direct support services to 60,000 family members, friends and carers.

It costs £1.6 billion each year to run the hospices in the UK.

Hospices raise over £1.1 billion of this through fundraising, and less than £0.5 billion comes from government funding.

Hospices do incredible work but they can’t do it without support. To find out about the different ways you could support Hospice UK you can find details on their website.

You can find more information on how we are working with hospices in our blogs:

How can Here help hospices enhance their impact with data? – Here

Why do we want to work with hospices? – Here

If you’d like to explore how we can help your hospice, we’d love to have a conversation.

To get in touch email: matthew.riley@nhs.net

We are proud to announce we will be supporting Hospice UK and their awards conference, celebrating the brilliant talent of the sector.

It is our great pleasure to be sponsoring the Digital Champion Award!

The award recognises the work of an individual who has passionately promoted the use of technology or digital ways of working in a hospice or palliative care organisation.

About the award

This award celebrates individuals that have encouraged and supported others to use technology or digital tools and techniques to:

• Identify or better understand and/or solve a problem (or be progressing towards solving a problem).
• Improve quality or efficiency
• Reduce barriers and improve access

The technology or digital tools and techniques they have used don’t need to be cutting edge, but how they were used may be innovative for your organisation.

The essential role of hospices and the need for public support

Hospices provide vital care and support to children and adults living with long-term illnesses or approaching the end of their lives.

In 2022-23, hospices across the UK provided palliative and end of life care to 300,000 and provided direct support services to 60,000 family members, friends and carers.

It costs £1.6 billion each year to run the hospices in the UK.

Hospices raise over £1.1 billion of this through fundraising, and less than £0.5 billion comes from government funding.

Hospices do incredible work but they can’t do it without support. To find out about the different ways you could support Hospice UK you can find details on their website.

You can find more information on how we are working with hospices in our blogs:

How can Here help hospices enhance their impact with data? – Here

Why do we want to work with hospices? – Here

If you’d like to discuss working together with us we’d love to hear from you.

Email: collab@hereweare.org.uk

Unlocking the power of data: How Here can help hospices enhance their impact

At Here, we’ve been supporting healthcare organisations for over 16 years, using data and analytics to drive meaningful improvements in care.

Our experience in working with NHS organisations and Primary Care Networks has given us a unique insight into the challenges faced by hospices when it comes to data management and reporting.

We believe that hospices can greatly benefit from harnessing the power of data—and we’re here to help. 

Why data matters for hospices 

In recent years, many hospices have made great strides in adopting advanced electronic patient record (EPR) systems like SystmOne. These systems offer a wealth of valuable information, but extracting meaningful insights from that data can be complex. Whether it’s about demonstrating the value of your services, ensuring equitable access for your community, or making sure you’re using resources as efficiently as possible, data holds the answers. But are you getting the most out of it? 

Hospices are increasingly faced with the need to provide robust evidence of their impact—not just in terms of patient care, but also in how they integrate into the wider healthcare system.

Our approach: A partnership, not an outsourcing relationship 

We understand that hospices vary greatly in their data and analytics capabilities. Some have well-established teams, while others are stretched thin, relying on manual processes or outdated methods of reporting. That’s where we come in—not to replace your team, but to complement and enhance your existing skills. 

Our goal isn’t to outsource your data function; it’s to build a partnership where we work alongside you, helping your hospice maximise its impact through effective data use. We aim to empower your team to focus on what really matters: understanding your service outcomes and making informed decisions about where improvements can be made. 

Whether you need help with setting up automated reports, developing dashboards, or making better use of tools like Power BI, we can step in at the right moment, providing the technical expertise that allows your team to focus on delivering outstanding care. 

The benefits of getting your data right 

Here’s how we typically work:

1. Building a data warehouse: We pull together data from your EPR system and other sources into a single, reliable data warehouse. This makes reporting faster, more accurate, and far less prone to errors compared to manual spreadsheets.
2. Data transformation and automation: We build robust data structures that allow for rapid reporting and analysis. You’ll have a “single version of the truth,” meaning no more conflicting numbers across different reports. You’ll be able to access timely, accurate data without the burden of manual number-crunching.
3. Enabling your team: By creating strong data foundations, your in-house team can focus on using their knowledge and expertise to interpret the data, rather than wasting time piecing it together. With the right infrastructure in place, they can easily generate reports that are meaningful and actionable.
4. Outcome-focused analytics: We help you measure the impact your hospice is making in the community. Are you reaching the populations that need you most? Are your services financially sustainable? What’s the quality of care being provided, and where could it be improved? These are the types of questions we help you answer using clear, data-driven insights.
    

Understanding the needs of hospices 

Five key areas we’ve identified where data can make a real difference: 

• Population reach: Are you serving your community equitably? Data can help you understand which demographics are accessing your services and where there might be gaps in care. 

• Service activity and quality: Data allows you to track not just what services are being provided, but how effective they are. What are the outcomes? Are there areas for improvement? 

• Workforce management: From understanding the mix of skills in your team to ensuring that you’re making the best use of those skills, data can provide crucial insights into how your workforce is performing. 

• Financial effectiveness: Ensuring that you’re using funds as efficiently as possible is vital, especially in a time of increasing financial pressure on hospices. Data can help you make informed decisions that balance care quality with cost-efficiency. 

• Outcomes and impact: How are you contributing to the broader healthcare landscape? Hospices play a crucial role in delivering personalised, compassionate care, but proving that value to commissioners and other stakeholders can be challenging. Data can help you demonstrate your impact clearly and convincingly.
  

Working flexibly, for the long term 

Our approach is flexible. We understand that needs can change over time, so we work with you to evolve the partnership as your capabilities grow. Initially, we might focus on building the right infrastructure, then later shift to enhancing analytics and reporting capabilities. 

Partnerships evolve over time as needs change, we don’t expect to be there forever. Our aim is to help you reach a point where you can manage your data effectively, and we’re happy to evolve or even for us to step back once you’re confident in your capabilities.

Let’s work together 

At Here, we believe that data can unlock new possibilities for hospices, helping you to deliver even better care to the people who need it most.

For over a decade we’ve been refining our approach to data and analytics, and we’re passionate about sharing that knowledge with others.

By building a solid data infrastructure and enabling your team to focus on what they do best, we can help you move from simply collecting data to truly understanding and leveraging it. 

If you’d like to explore how we can help your hospice, we’d love to have a conversation.

To get in touch email: matthew.riley@nhs.net

Read more about our work with hospices:
Our partnership with St Gemma’s Hospice announcement blog.

Chief Executive, Dr Helen Curr has written about ‘Why we want to work hospices’

Hospices have always formed part of my landscape. For a time in Sydenham, St Christopher’s was my next door neighbour, where I grew up in Cornwall, our little back lane now leads to the beautifully designed and uniquely delivered Little Harbour, and I now drive past the stunning new build of St Catherine’s on my way back and forth to my office.  

As a healthcare professional, I have long been inspired by the way palliative services resolutely embody the very best of personalised care – with a relentless focus on living, on what is important, on what matters to you and those around you as life comes full circle.  

Supporting the hospice sector

Watching the challenges in the hospice sector over the past year has been heartbreaking when you see so clearly the powerful work they do, both to individuals who need their love and care, and to systems who need training, reminders, and inspirational examples of how care can and should be different.  

As an organisation Here’s purpose is ‘Exceptional care, for everyone’. We deliver services, but over the years we have also developed offers to support others to deliver exceptional care.

Our focus on data and analytics has long underpinned our innovative services.

Partnering with St Gemma’s Hospice

When we work in partnership we seek likeminded organisations, and it is no surprise that we have started to find these in the hospice sector. We feel privileged to support the work of St Gemma’s Hospice and to share our learning in this new partnership.

In our work with St Gemma’s, we want to bring the full breadth of our experience into the partnership. We will provide a mixture of infrastructure (a cloud-based data warehouse, Power BI), coupled with analytics and other technical expertise.  

Our goal is twofold: to streamline St Gemma’s existing reporting processes for greater efficiency, and to harness data-driven insights to better quantify and demonstrate their impact.

By harnessing this data analytics work, we want to help other organisations work more efficiently, empowering them to provide exceptional care not only to the people they support but also to the dedicated staff who deliver care.

Think we could support your organisation? Feel free to get in touch at collab@hereweare.org.uk if you’d like to discuss working in partnership with us.

We are delighted to announce our new partnership with St Gemma’s Hospice, a leading palliative care provider.

This collaboration represents an important step towards achieving our shared commitment to delivering exceptional care, for everyone. 

As a purpose-driven organisation, we are dedicated to empowering organisations with data-driven insights. Our expertise in health analytics, cloud-based data warehousing, and system configuration helps organisations make informed decisions that improve the services they offer to their communities. 

As part of this partnership, we will utilise our established infrastructure to provide St Gemma’s with a flexible and scalable data platform.

Our system will integrate seamlessly with St Gemma’s existing tools, enabling real-time insights to support better, data-driven decision-making for patient care. From securely managing data storage, and transformation to delivering advanced data dashboard, we aim to create a robust, transparent, and efficient data environment.

Tony Deighton, Information Manager/Data Protection Officer at St Gemma’s Hospice, said: 

 “We are delighted to collaborate with Here as we transition to a new data warehouse model for all our data. This partnership marks an exciting step forward for St Gemma’s, and we are confident that together, we will generate comprehensive data insights that drive informed decision-making.”

What sets this partnership apart is our shared values. As a social enterprise, Here focuses on building partnerships that create direct, meaningful benefits for the people seeking care.

Our collaboration with St Gemma’s will also prioritise knowledge sharing, allowing their team to upskill and grow their in-house analytics capability, ensuring the long-term success of their data-driven initiatives. 

Helen Curr, CEO of Here, said:

“When we work in partnership, we seek like-minded organisations, and it is no surprise that we have started to find these in the hospice sector. We feel privileged to support the work of St Gemma’s and to share our learning in this new partnership.”

Together, we will deliver a solution that not only meets the immediate needs of St Gemma’s but also evolves as their requirements change, ensuring continuous improvement and excellence in care.

Learn more about our award-winning healthcare data and analytics.

If you’d like to discuss working together with us we’d love to hear from you.

Email: collab@hereweare.org.uk