Background A hospice collaborative for the southern region of England was created in 2022 to identify work where collaboration could benefit the group. This sparked a conversation between the CEOs of Oakhaven and Mountbatten about collaboration as there was a synergy in their visions. The areas for collaboration identified were IT, systems and data analytics/reporting.

Aim The aim of the collaboration was to create cross pollination of learning, sharing of expertise, synergies in delivery of service, an opportunity for benchmarking and budgetary efficiencies with the IT and data teams across three hospices flexing to meet current demand.

Method Implementation of the collaboration was discussed and agreed between Mountbatten and Oakhaven, identifying what were key measures of success, timeframes for delivery and the financial implications. An action plan was created and Mountbatten’s Director of Quality, Data and Information now spends a third of their time working for Oakhaven, funded by Oakhaven.

Results The collaboration has been in place since December 2023 and there have already been a number of achievements. These include an alignment of data collection and dashboards across Oakhaven and Mountbatten, a consistent approach to outcome measure recording and the implementation of the SystmOne Brigid application on Oakhaven and Mountbatten Inpatient Units. It has also enabled creation of a jointly funded Network IT post which was a gap across the hospices.

Conclusion The collaboration is a relatively new initiative. Early signs are that it will be a success and may lead to further collaborations between Oakhaven and Mountbatten and potentially other hospices. Mountbatten has also had the opportunity to share their expertise with other hospices, including in the east of England in a consultancy role. The collaboration has already provided benefits for both hospices and there are other pieces of work scheduled for the coming months.