Home News The Kirkwood Hosts Groundbreaking SystmOne Conference for Hospices

24 Jan 2025 Community

The Kirkwood Hosts Groundbreaking SystmOne Conference for Hospices

The Kirkwood recently held a pioneering conference aimed at sharing insights and fostering collaboration among hospices on the use of SystmOne, a software platform central to modernising electronic patient records (EPR) and electronic prescribing (EPMA). 

With representatives from hospices across the region in attendance, the event was a showcase of best practices, lessons learned, and opportunities to advance patient care through technology.

Tasha Thackrah, Associate Specialist with The Kirkwood’s clinical department, explained the motivation behind the event: "I’d organised this afternoon as we’d been approached by several other hospices about our SystmOne use. SystmOne is the software that we use for our electronic patient records and electronic prescribing. We first launched our electronic patient record in 2018 and our electronic prescribing in 2019, so we have lots of experience in using them. The project to move from paper-based records/prescribing took 18 months and came at a considerable cost but, along with lots of other benefits, was invaluable during Covid, allowing staff to access patient records remotely."

Reflecting on the ethos of the event, she added: "Over the years, we have shared our knowledge with other hospices and partner organisations such as LOCALA on an individual basis. I’m hoping bringing everyone together this time around will encourage more collaborative working. Hospices are generally small organisations with fewer resources than can be accessed in the NHS, so it is important that we work together."

The positive feedback from participants validated the conference’s objectives: "I’m really pleased with the feedback we managed to gather. It demonstrates how valuable it was for other hospices to come and see our system and have the opportunity to ask questions."

The event drew participants from across the hospice community, each bringing unique experiences and challenges. Joanne Sayles, from St Catherine’s Hospice in Scarborough, highlighted the collaborative spirit of the day: "It’s been really useful. I brought one of our lead CNS team members and also our system administrator. Between us, we’ve got a really varied skill set, so it’s been interesting to see how the event aligns with what we’re already doing. It’s great to have that validation and also learn from how others are implementing things."

She further emphasised the significance of collaboration during challenging times: "The financial situation around hospices is incredibly challenging at the moment. It’s a tough time for all of us. That’s why it’s fantastic to have events like this where we can collaborate and find ways to make things work better together. Ultimately, it’s all about the patients, isn’t it? It’s about making sure they’re getting the best possible care."

Becky Lambert, Head of Clinical Services at Barnsley Hospice, echoed these sentiments: "Everybody who’s come today is obviously in a different stage of implementing SystmOne or enhancing it further. For us, coming here to The Kirkwood has been a great opportunity to see what you’ve built over the years. It’s inspiring to see how far you’ve come and to gain ideas that we can take back and apply in our setting."

The event also highlighted the shared challenges faced by hospices and the collective determination to overcome them. Emma Lowe, Medical Director at Wakefield Hospice, captured the mixture of excitement and apprehension many felt: "What I heard today, moving forward, excites and terrifies me in equal measures. However, you at The Kirkwood have done it. Obviously, there are financial implications and time constraints, but knowing you’ve achieved it is inspiring. Even if it’s frightening, we must be able to do it."

She underscored the urgency of adopting modern systems: "Hospices are 10 years behind in terms of IT compared to a lot of places. But we need to keep up because you can’t not do this stuff now. We can’t in five years still have a paper drug chart. That’s utterly ridiculous. So we have to do it."

The conference underscored the power of collective expertise in improving hospice care. Paul Ashwood, Medical Director at the Prince of Wales Hospice, reflected on the value of the event: "Conferences like this are so important, especially in a field like hospice care where the focus is so often on the day-to-day work. Sometimes we’re so busy that we don’t get the chance to step back and see what other hospices are doing. It reminded me that we’re not alone in facing these challenges and that there’s a lot we can learn from each other."

As the event concluded, there was a palpable sense of optimism and determination. Hospices, though often limited in resources, demonstrated their commitment to collaboration and innovation. Events like this at The Kirkwood are not only transforming care locally but also setting a standard for hospice care across the UK.

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