The government has announced £75 million of funding to more than 170 hospices to support the delivery of “major upgrades” across facilities, tech, and outreach services, as part of the Plan for Change’s promises to improve care in the community where people need it most.
£25 million was granted to hospices in February, with examples of improvements including modernising facilities, major building works, digital transformation to improve data sharing between providers, and energy efficiency measures.
The latest funding is to be distributed by Hospice UK, with hospices allocated a portion of the funding which can be invoiced for once work has been completed. A breakdown of funding is also supplied, with the biggest awards being £3.7 million for Marie Curie (Head Office) in London, £3.7 million for Sue Ryder in London, £1.86 million for St Barnabas Hospices in Worthing, 1.57 million for St Christopher’s Hospice in London, and £1.1 million for The Hospice Charity Partnership in Birmingham.
Toby Porter, CEO of Hospice UK, said the funding is “welcome recognition from the government of the immense pressure facing hospices, and their urgent need for more financial support”. Porter, added: “We know this money has made a huge difference to hospices and the next £75 million will continue to help them invest in their buildings, facilities, and digital infrastructure. While this one-off investment has been very welcome, it’s critical that we continue to work with government to secure long-term reform to ensure hospice care is there for everyone who needs it, whoever and wherever they are.”
Garden House Hospice Care in Stevenage has used the funding to equip its nurses with laptops, making the transition from paper notes to digital. According to the update, “nurses can now spend less time on administration and more time focusing on what matters most – providing compassionate care to patients and support to their families”.
Matthew Reed, chief executive of Marie Curie, added: “Marie Curie welcome this grant funding, which we will be investing in helping to ensure people living with terminal illness are well cared for across England – whether in our hospice buildings, or in their own homes through improvements in use of digital technology.”
Modernising care in the community
For HTN Now we welcomed a group of experts for a discussion on how digital tools are transforming community care delivery and expanding workforce capacity. Panellists included Peter Cumpstone, head of digital clinical systems, safety and transformation at Sirona care & health; Sara Lowe, CHS business and transformation clinical team lead at Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust; and Gabi Cohen, director of delivery at Isla Health. Our panel shared real-world projects, including waitlist validation pathways, self-managed care models, and community-based digital practices. They also highlighted practical insights into how technology is being used to streamline workflows, reduce pressure on staff, and improve patient outcomes.
A separate HTN Now webinar focused on the role of digital in supporting NHS reform – modernising services, shifting from hospital to community, and supporting the move from reactive to proactive care. We welcomed Dawn Greaves, associate director of digital transformation at Leeds Community Healthcare; Ananya Datta, associate director of primary care digital delivery at South East London ICS; and Stuart Stocks, lead enterprise architect with Aire Logic. Panel members shared their insight and experience from a wide range of digital projects, highlighting what worked well and their learnings; how their organisations are currently tackling key challenges such as capacity and demand, and managing waiting lists; and balancing risk with innovation.
Blüm Technologies Group has announced its acquisition of Nexus Digital Technologies in what it is calling a “strategic expansion in the primary engagement and community care space”. The group specialises in digital health solutions including software engineering, AI development, and regulatory support, offering assistance with digital transformation roadmaps, technical infrastructure planning, and clinical compliance for clients in both the private and public sectors. In acquiring Nexus, Blüm Technologies Group hopes to be able to deliver a more end-to-end digital health service for organisations requiring support with digital transformation, broadening its capabilities to assist in areas across patient education, peer to peer support, direct access to healthcare professionals, and connections to local services.
