St Rocco’s Hospice was successful in an application for funding from the Health Foundation, an independent organisation working to build a healthier UK, to be part of its exciting new £2 million innovation programme that will explore how technology can enable new approaches to care at home and in the community.

The Tech for Better Care programme is supporting 10 care teams from across the UK to develop, test and pilot promising new ideas and approaches to care over approximately 18 months.

The teams will develop approaches to care that focus on the caring and enabling relationships needed between those who deliver care and those who receive care, and on care that is proactive in supporting people to live a better and more independent life where possible.

The teams will be supported through a three-phase innovation process where they will initially explore opportunities and develop ideas. The most promising ideas will then be supported to test and pilot their new approaches.

The project led by St Rocco’s Hospice and working in partnership with Healthwatch Warrington and Warrington Carers’ Hub aims to support carers to live well, reduce isolation and provide holistic resources using technology.

Project managers, Sara Black (Chief Operating Officer, St Rocco’s Hospice) and Nicola Ryder (Grant Funding and Communications Writer, St Rocco’s Hospice) said: “We are delighted to be working with the Health Foundation to explores ways in which we can support carers of palliative patients at home through a digital solution.  Working alongside our mission statement, this project will help educate and empower our community to care well and live well.”

Malte Gerhold, Director of Innovation and Improvement at the Health Foundation, said: “We’re very excited to launch this new programme and support these teams with their innovative ideas. Our aim is not only to get promising new ideas off the ground, but to demonstrate that by making the most of technology it is possible to deliver care in a way that is more proactive and focused on building supportive relationships, personally and with the community. Ultimately, we want to see the most effective piloted approaches scaled and spread to improve outcomes and experiences for those delivering and receiving care.”

Notes to editors:

About the Health Foundation

The Health Foundation is an independent charitable organisation working to build a healthier UK.

Health is our most precious asset. Good health and wellbeing enables us to live happy, fulfilling lives and frees us up to achieve our potential. It fuels our prosperity – a healthy and productive labour force is the engine that powers our economy. And it helps to build a stronger society by enabling us to play a full part in family life, make social connections and contribute to our communities. 

Our health is shaped by a range of factors including our early life, the work we do and the income we earn, the education we receive and the homes and places we live in. The health and care system should support good health and wellbeing by enabling everyone to access the high-quality treatment, care and support they need, when they need it.  

Yet, good health remains out of reach for too many people in the UK. Improvements in life expectancy have slowed. We compare poorly with other leading nations on some important aspects of our health, such as cancer and heart disease. Deep inequalities in health between our poorest and wealthiest communities have widened. Meanwhile, health and care services are under huge pressure and struggling to provide access to timely, high-quality care.  

It doesn’t have to be like this. By valuing our health as an asset, investing in health and care services and focusing on the wider factors that shape our health and drive inequalities, we can build a healthier nation.

www.health.org.uk

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