Background Estimates suggested that the hospice reached 46% of those who could benefit from its care. In January 2022 the hospice launched a five year strategy. A new clinical model to create a sustainable foundation for patients/carers and meet projected increases in demand and complexity was central to the strategy.

Aims To make better use of existing workforce model, facilities and workforce. To reach all who could benefit from our services through an inclusive and collaborative approach to delivery while maintaining quality and financial balance.

Methodology The programme took a Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) approach, tailored to suit the hospice’s needs. The programme was broken into five phases across two years covering six processes of the MSP approach. New, expanded and improved services included:

• New central admin team coordinating all services.

• New rapid response service.

• Expansion of care coordination service.

• Relaunched enhanced outpatient and bereavement programme.

• New Compassionate Neighbours project.

Results Hospice community Rapid Response team launched July 2023:

• Over 1,400 interventions to support community patients in crisis and prevent hospital admissions.

• We doubled the number of community patients who died in their PPD.

• Reduced pressure on our community nursing team and reached 104 more patients with non–urgent care.

Care Coordination Service expanded across catchment area, July 2023. Outpatient and enhanced bereavement service launched May 2023. Compassionate Neighbours launched January 2023.

Conclusion Overall, the programme management approach – customised MSP and Prince 2 methodologies – was effective; however, timelines and workplans could have been better managed to ensure the right pace of change. The inclusive approach to the development and implementation of services has played an instrumental role in collaborating between key teams. Improved patient flow should continue to increase the overall number of patients the hospice can care for over time.