Day 3: Thursday 27 November

Proactive Pharmacy: Future-proofing hospice care through medicine optimisation and digital innovation

This session is kindly supported by Ashtons.

With hospices under increasing clinical and financial pressure, this session explores how integrated pharmacy support can improve patient safety, reduce incidents, and support digital transformation. 

Drawing on real-world insights from over 50 hospices, we’ll examine how medicines optimisation, workforce training, and practical digital solutions can help future-proof services, while keeping care at the heart. 

The session will also introduce how Ashtons’ evolving role within the new Agentis Health Group is shaping next-generation support for the hospice sector. 

Speaker: 

• Graeme Whittaker, Head of Sales, Ashtons 

Chair: Cat Sullivan, Senior Clinical Practice & QI Manager, Hospice UK 

👥: Clinical

This session includes four presentations of abstracts submitted via our Call for Papers:

• A game changer: professional events management expertise transforms care delivery in the psychosocial provision of groups and events – presented by Shooting Star Children’s Hospices
• Design with us, not for us: motivations and challenges of digital technology use in palliative care from patients’ perspectives – presented by University of Central Lancashire
• Evaluating the impact of a collaborative young adult palliative and end of life care service – presented by Claire House Children’s Hospice
• Cultural adaptation of a future care planning intervention for the Chinese ethnic communities in the UK – presented by Queen’s University Belfast

These abstracts are published in an online conference supplement published by BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care, an official journal of Hospice UK.

Chair: Paul Farthing, Chief Executive, Shooting Star Children’s Hospices

👥: All delegates

This session will focus on practical tips for financial sustainability. Simon Hopkins, an experienced charity freelance director who now campaigns to improve turnaround skills in charity finance directors, will talk about some of the key themes from his work on charity turnarounds. He will share advice for organisations who are facing financial challenges and need to think about service redesign and cost control.

Giles Hutson, Executive Chair of Insignis, will explain how their cash platform can help hospices reduce their admin time, increase interest and mitigate risk. Emily Carter, Chief Executive at Royal Trinity Hospice and Jane Wheeler, Chief Executive of Harlington Hospice, will talk about how they have successfully agreed a significant funding increase and expansion of services in north-west London. This session will offer practical tips as to how they were able to successfully make the case to their ICB on funding.

Speakers:

• Simon Hopkins, Freelance charity director
• Jane Wheeler, CEO, Harlington Hospice
• Emily Carter, CEO, Royal Trinity Hospice
• Insignis Cash speaker

Chair: Craig Duncan, Chief Operating Officer, Hospice UK

Kindly supported by our Gold sponsors, Insignis Cash

👥: CEOs, Trustees, Finance

Join this session to hear from experts at Hanover Communications about why stories matter, why it's critical we have a clear story to tell alongside assisted dying - and practical tips to make sure you have one at your hospice. 

Speakers: 

• James Mole, Director, Hanover Communications  

• Benjamin Smith, Account Director (Healthcare Policy, Advocacy and Public Affairs), Hanover Communications  

Chair: Charlie King, Director of External Affairs, Hospice UK 

👥: CEOs, Communications, Trustees

This session will provide an in-depth look at a variety of hospice service models, including single point of access/palliative hub, living well services, hospital in-reach services and virtual wards. It aims to share a journey from how patients access hospice care and what services might they be referred to within our care and how this might change in meeting their needs along their individual care pathway.  

These examples are highlighted in the new Hospice UK commissioning resource pack to support hospices and local health boards, which we launched in yesterday's parallel session about Commissioning support for local hospice services.

Speakers:

• Dr Annabel Howell, Medical Director, Children's Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS)
• Sara Robins, Director of Clinical Services and Deputy CEO, Arthur Rank Hospice Charity
• Michelle Knight, Matron and Palliative Care Hub Service Lead at the Alan Hudson Centre, Arthur Rank Hospice Charity
• Heather McClelland, Chief Nurse, St Gemma’s Hospice
• Dr Amy Gadoud, Honorary Community Consultant in Palliative Medicine, Trinity Hospice & Palliative Care Services; National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Research Delivery Network National Lead for Palliative Care
• Emma Dawson, Advanced Practitioner and Virtual Ward Lead, Trinity Hospice Blackpool

Chair: Anita Hayes, Clinical Quality Lead, Hospice UK 

👥: CEOs, Clinical

Following the popular and impactful inter-faith discussion held at the 2024 Hospice UK National Conference, we will be joined by speakers with a variety of perspectives on the importance of recognising and engaging with faith and culture when providing support at the end of life and to bereaved people.

Speakers: 

• George Gumisiriza, PhD Candidate, Centre for Death and Society (CDAS), University of Bath
• Martin McGonigle, Spiritual Pastoral and Religious Care Service (SPARCS) Team Lead, Douglas Macmillan Hospice
• Rabbi Yossi Fachler, Rabbi, King Solomon Institute; Former Chaplain at North London Hospice 

Chair: Catherine Hodge, Programme Development Lead, Hospice UK

👥: All delegates

Come and join us for a thought-provoking session that delves into the profound experiences of love and loss, delivered by FRONTLINEdance, an artist-led company based in Stoke-on-Trent. This remarkable organisation places disabled people and those with long-term health conditions at the very heart of their operations, featuring them as leaders, dancers, artists, and audiences. 

During this session, we will share a film of a live performance, which powerfully expresses the emotional journey through movement and dance. FRONTLINEdance aims to bring creative and alternative ways to further our understanding of loss and grief, offering a unique and moving perspective on these universal human experiences.

Presented by:

• Lesley Goodburn, Founder, Seth's Legacy
• Rachael Lines, Artistic Director and Founder, FRONTLINEdance

Chair: Anita Hayes, Clinical Quality Lead, Hospice UK

👥: All delegates

Members of the Hospice UK Income Generation Leaders Network are invited to meet up with their peers.

Chair: Kathryn Brennan, Deputy Director of Income Generation, Hospice UK

 👥: Income Generation

Learning from a review of the care provided to patients who die should be integral to a provider’s clinical governance and quality improvement work. 

In this session, we will hear from St Richard’s Hospice who have implemented a case note review framework using their electronic patient record.  We will hear how the multi- disciplinary team have worked together to create a process that provides learning for the organisation.

We will be discussing:

• How to develop a framework based on what you want to achieve.
• The practicalities, the pros and the cons and who can be involved

And how to feedback in a supportive and meaningful way.

Speakers:

• Dr Sarah Onions, St Richard’s Hospice
• Emily Watts, Data Manager, St Richard’s Hospice

Chair: Julia Russell, Senior Clinical Practice & QI Manager, Hospice UK

👥: Clinical

Inspired by the Together Pebbles, featured at the Hospice UK Garden of Compassion at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show this year, join this drop-in session toa turn a stone into your own creative reflection using vibrant paints and brushes. 

Let your creativity flow as you reflect on the conference - whether through mindful patterns, standout words or colourful designs that express your personal takeaways and interpretations. You’ll leave with a unique, hand-painted rock that captures your reflections and creativity to take home. 

👥: All delegates

This session includes three presentations of abstracts submitted via our Call for Papers:

• Foundation staff nurse: a strategic response to workforce challenges in specialist palliative care – presented by St Vincent’s Hospice
• The validity of staff reported IPOS scores in a hospital setting – presented by Bradford Teaching Hospitals
• Gym and Jammers’ – Integrating music into breathlessness management to optimise men’s mental wellbeing – presented by Lindsey Lodge Hospice and Healthcare

These abstracts are published in an online conference supplement published by BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care, an official journal of Hospice UK.

Chair: Paul Jennings, Chair, Hospice UK 

👥: All delegates

Join us for a panel event with inspiring hospice leaders as we dive into a warm and honest conversation about what it truly means to lead with compassion.

 Together, we’ll explore how showing vulnerability can strengthen teams, how to recognise and support staff experiencing burnout, and how to build a workplace culture that genuinely cares, especially during life’s most difficult moments. 

Expect real stories, practical ideas, and a powerful reminder that compassionate leadership isn’t just a ‘nice to have’, it’s essential for delivering exceptional patient care. 

Speakers:

• Toby Porter, Chief Executive, Hospice UK
• Katharine Horler, Chair, Thames Hospice
• Michael Crowther, CEO, The Kirkwood
• Kate Phipps-Wiltshire, CEO, The Hospice of St Francis

Chair: Lucy Carpenter, Compassionate Employers Lead, Hospice UK 

👥: CEOs and leadership, Trustees, People and Human Resources

Following Hospice UK’s landmark report Bringing Care Closer to Home, join us for this interactive workshop to explore innovative approaches and practical insights to delivering hospice care in rural communities. What have you tried that is working well? What would you love to learn from others? Come ready to connect, collaborate and spark fresh ideas.

Facilitators include: Alice Langley, Chief Executive, Tynedale Hospice at Home 

Chair: Helen Malo, Senior Policy and Public Affairs Manager (Scotland), Hospice UK and author 'Bringing... communities', London: Hospice UK; 2025. 

👥: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Community Engagement, Clinical

This session will explore bold, adaptable, and visionary strategies to secure and enhance the palliative care workforce. Attendees will learn about effective strategies and innovative initiatives implemented by hospices to attract a diverse workforce and support their professional growth. Speakers will present established programmes and projects across various career entry points.

The session will focus on strategic opportunities for career progression, innovative job design, and evidence-informed approaches to improve workforce retention, learning, and professional development in palliative and hospice care. It will emphasise the importance of robust partnerships across multidisciplinary teams, other community and voluntary sector organisations, and education collaborators, highlighting how effective collaboration supports sustainable workforce investment and growth. 

By integrating experiential knowledge with professional expertise, the session will showcase methods to develop a confident, skilled workforce and cultivate enduring partnerships that drive excellence in palliative and hospice care.

Speakers: 

• Vicky Bruce, Volunteer to Career (VtC) Lead, Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice
• Şule Yüksel Şahi̇n, Volunteer to Career volunteer, Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice
• Phil McGraa, Volunteer Services Manager, Wirral Hospice St John’s
• Dr Lisa Nolan, Palliative Medicine Consultant, Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care
• Rachel Griffith, Practice Educator & Community Nurse, Rennie Grove Peace Hospice
• Kate Burgess, Strategic Education and Research Lead, Lancashire and South Cumbria Hospices Together 

Chair: Maaike Vandeweghe, Clinical Workforce Project Manager, Hospice UK

👥: People and Human Resources

In this session, we will hear from three hospice leaders who have recently and significantly invested in their income generation. They will share why they took this decision, the results they are hoping for and some early success stories.

Speakers:

• Anna Cooper, Director of Income Generation, North London Hospice
• Liz Searle, CEO, Keech Hospice
• Nikki Samsa, Associate Director of Supporter Engagement, Keech Hospice
• Wayne de Leeuw, Chief Executive, Dorothy House 

Chair: Kathryn Brennan, Deputy Director of Income Generation, Hospice UK

👥: Income Generation