TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS
Technology solutions will offer fundamental improvements to your Hospice systems and operations, delivering efficiencies and ultimately will help shape your patient and staff care.
Supplier: Focus Telecommunications
Established in 2003, Focus Group is one of the UK’s leading providers of essential business technology. Its award-winning team are experts in their field, providing thousands of organisations with an extensive range of innovative technology across Telecoms, IT, Cyber Security, Connectivity, Mobile and Energy. This means everything you need in one place. Leaving you free to focus all your energy on the important stuff, like growing your business.
- “I want to say how impressed I am with Andrew Rumsey, who is our account manager at Focus. He is so responsive to emails and always helpful. It’s all too easy to complain when things don’t go to plan so I wanted to flag this up as he really does give great service.”
Cheryl Webster, Support Services Manager, Treetops Hospice Care
Landlines
Features
- Reduced costs & disaster recovery
- Fraud protection
- Business continuity plan
- Voice Over IP Technology
- The right call reporting solution for critical services
- Desktop control
- Unified communications
- Latest network technologies
- Flexible contracts & leasing options
Benefits
- Offers value & savings without compromising on quality of product or service
- Protect your business from fraud
- Agreed & implemented at the start of any new agreement to give confidence in continuity
- Keeps critical lines open 24/7
- Supports remote working and all services required
- Makes patient, relative & supplier contact data easy to find
- Intuitive, easy to use tools & features
- Confidence that systems are up to date systems
- Gives you choice in what’s right for your organisation
Mobiles
Features
- 2G/3G/4G/5G network coverage across the UK
- Shared data plans
- Mobile Device Management (MDM)
Benefits
- Bespoke mobile solutions provided
- Access to all the national networks
- No overspend charges
- Full control of all assets
Internet
Features
- Focus Group work with 12 different Internet Service Providers
- Fibre Ethernet ensures you receive 100% of service bandwidth
- 24/7 fault reporting & managed routers
- Secure network centrally managed in the cloud
- Improved cyber security
Benefits
- Guaranteed best price & service delivery
- You can rely on a stable internet connection
- Round the clock fault monitoring & escalation service both in-house & with supply chain
- Connects all sites together
- Gives confidence & peace of mind in security of internet connection
IT & Cyber Security
Features
- Focus Cyber Protect
- Vulnerability scanning
- Network inventory
- GDPR health check
- Leading Phishing Simulation platform
- Access to library of templates
- Dark web reporting
- Cyber essentials
Benefits
- Helps prevent ransomware attacks
- Up to date report of IT estate rights & permissions
- Full data liability report in easy to digest format
- Contact with Data Protection Officer (DPO) keeps you compliant
- Keeps system secure by giving staff up to date training & reports
- Keeps training up to date and relevant to your organisation
- Real-time validated data
- Ensues compliance against cyber attacks
To find out more contact Harry Heath
IT Managed Services
Supplier: Central Technology
Providing bespoke IT support packages that cater to the specific needs and challenges of hospices.
Features
- Annual free strategic review of your business with a focus on technology, how it is used and how it could be used to improve operations
- Hospice specific tailored IT Support packages
- Bespoke managed service plan
- Support in selecting the most relevant package of support for your organisation
Benefits
- Regular review and refinement of your requirements allows you to focus on your core business without having to worry about technical problems
- Choose a level of support which is right for your organisation – in respect to price and service level
- Fills any gaps for strategic IT or technical expertise requirements to give you back the time to focus on your business objectives
- Each solution is tailored to the individual organisation’s requirements and not limited by a fixed cost model
To find out more contact Gavin Turnbull
Supplier: embracent Ltd
embracent is a technology consultancy that helps organisations make sense of technology, delivering technology and digital advice and services that includes strategy, implementation, data and insight and intelligent automation. They provide pragmatic advice to help clients make good technology decisions and avoid expensive mistakes.
- "Working with embracent has been a real lesson, in the art of the possible. Things that we thought would be unachievable or just far too complex have been proven to be really easy when you’re working with people who have the know-how and the right skills".
Matt Corbishley, Ashgate Hospicecare
Features
- Technology and digital strategy
- IT operating model
- Maturity assessment against leading practice
- Future enterprise architecture design
- Options for change, roadmap development
- Systems specification and selection
- Technology programme and project management
- Independent quality assurance
Benefits
- Clear digital roadmap aligned to business outcomes and bought into by senior stakeholders
- Focus on pragmatic options that deliver rapid benefits and a fast ROI
- Enhanced patient and customer experience delivered through digital
- Independent and agnostic options appraisal and vendor selection
- Risk based approach to technology change
- Client-side advice to secure the benefits of technology change
- Knowledge transfer to client teams
- Experience from CIO/CFO/CTO leaders in technology, consulting and software vendors
Data and Insight
Features
- Data strategy toolkit using 14 lenses
- Rapid assessment of data quality and insight
- Step by step plan to unlock data to provide actionable insight
- KPI’s and analytics across clinical, commercial, operations, donors & finance
- Development of dynamic analytics capabilities and dashboards
Benefits
- Informed decision making for future care planning and delivery
- Reduced time taken to prepare information and performance results to support urgent business decisions
- Improved data quality and governance
- Consistent outputs to improve trust, whilst removing the need for manual effort, duplication or reconciliation
- Agile decision making through informative, interactive self-service dashboards
Automation and RPA (Robotic Process Automation)
Features
- Automating manual and repetitive processes
- Targets process pain points
- Use of Gartner magic quadrant RPA and Machine Learning tools
- Lean and Six Sigma approach to remove waste
- Business case development
- Proof of concept
- User acceptance, training and knowledge transfer
- Managed service provision
- Third party licence management
- Automation Centre of Excellence
Benefits
- Lower cost in support functions, enabling resources to be redirected to patient care
- Rapid return on investment (ROI)
- Improved customer/patient engagement and satisfaction
- Fewer errors or mistakes, reducing time and rework, decreased processing times
- Employees focus their time managing exceptions
- Improved process compliance and audit trails
- Ability for employees to make better and more consistent decisions
- Constant benefits realisation
To find out more contact Beth Younger
Retail EPOS Systems
Supplier: WIL-U
Tablet-based charity shop technology including EPOS and Gift Aid systems. Purchased on a fixed monthly subscription that includes software, hardware, warranty and technical support.
Features
- Only pay for what you use & no capital outlay
- Fixed monthly subscription cost
- Control centre, back-office management software linking POS & Gift Aid systems
- Wil-U POS plug in & go easy installation
- System for gift aid sign up & processing
- All donor data is backed up in cloud based storage
- Wil-U stock monitoring
- Connect gives you the ability to advertise latest campaigns, events, donations drives etc.
Benefits
- Hardware servicing, replacements & software updates all included
- Offers real-time reporting & quick & easy to understand overview of sales & gift aid performance
- Easy for staff & volunteers to pick up and use in just a few minutes
- Easy to use system increases gift aid sign ups & boosts gift aid revenue
- Simplifies Gift Aid submission without taking a percentage
- Take care of legal requirements
- All records securely stored
- Effectively manage new goods, increase oversight of stock levels & organise shops better for increased sales
- Update content quickly & easily. Increases marketing reach, supporter engagement and reduces printing and paper costs
To find out more contact Eve Penrice
HR Systems
Supplier: Ciphr
Ciphr’s suite of tools seamlessly integrate HR software, payroll software, recruitment software and a flexible employee benefits platform.
They bring everything together so you’re are not spinning plates, chasing up people, policing and administering. Ciphr’s software makes tasks faster, easier and syncs up with third-party through API technology.
Plus, Ciphr’s HR software features a pre-built HR data analytics suite with pre-built dashboard so you can uncover insight right away. Also, Ciphr is rolling out AI functionality that helps you work smarter, not harder.
Features & Benefits
To find out more contact Joff Forber
Supplier: Iris Cascade HRi
Online integrated HR platforms to support members across the lifecycle of employees and volunteers. Built in systems to manage payroll, training management, recruitment and more.
- An intuitive cloud-based HR Platform, with integrated Payroll, Recruitment, Training Management and more designed to manage employees and volunteers.
Features
- Fully integrated HR & Payroll software managing employee & volunteer data
- Integrates with third party time and attendance systems (including rostering)
- Live, interactive, secure & reliable platform
- Powerful reporting tools
- Customisable data screens & reports
- Free volunteer licences and learning and development webinars
Benefits
- Simplicity of an outsourced payroll function without the laborious data entry
- Unique user-friendly integration to Payroll
- Rental option available which removes upfront cost and allows Hospices to budget
- No additional costs for volunteer licenses or to keeping your employees up to date with L&D
To find out more contact Lauri Cronvall
Supplier: Blue Stream Academy
Blue Stream Academy was founded in April 2012 and has quickly become a leading provider of eLearning to GP Practices, Nursing & Care Homes, Urgent & Tailored Care Providers, Hospices, Aesthetics Providers and Carers in the UK.
Blue Stream Academy’s Hospice HR System is fully-integrated their Hospice LMS and has the ability to track training and HR records across multiple sites and departments, with all reports available to download at the touch of a button.
Features
- Individual staff HR profiles to store employee HR data and documentation on an ISO-27001 secure platform.
- Performance management feature to record employee objectives, one-to-one records, and appraisal information
- Leave and absence management to record and review leave requests, see an absence calendar overview, and access staff leave/absence history
- Shift and rota management with optional shift types and responsibilities
- Automated HR reporting for staff shifts, absences, the Bradford Factor, audits and documents
Benefits
- All employee data can be accessed from a single digital location, with the added peace of mind of BSA’s ISO-27001 certification to ensure any data is stored with the highest security.
- Managers can easily and efficiently keep track of employee performance and progression towards objectives, benefitting from a centralised approach to ensure that important reviews such as one-to-ones and appraisals and kept organised alongside employee progression
- Record and monitor employee leave, with all data stored in a single employee record alongside their training, shifts, rotas, performance and compliance information, alongside any relevant documents.
- Employees can easily access their shifts and rotas through their BSA dashboard without having to log into a separate system
- Save administration time with BSA’s automated HR reports, allowing managers to view an instant overview of the organisation’s HR records and users’ Bradford factors
To find out more contact Alice Little
Supplier: iplicit
iplicit bridges the gap between entry-level systems and costly enterprise platforms, delivering enterprise-grade functionality in an intuitive, affordable, and rapidly deployable solution, on-premise or in the cloud.
With over 40% of our customers in the charity and not-for-profit sector, iplicit has been designed to meet the unique financial management needs of hospices, from fund tracking and SoFA reporting to automated approval workflows and integrated document management.
Our system is 100% cloud-based, accessible anywhere, and continually updated to keep you compliant, connected, and in control.
- We looked at other packages, including Sage and Xero, but those are huge organisations and if you’ve got an issue, you can’t just put in a call and get a response within 24 hours. With iplicit being UK-based, there’s someone on the end of the phone or who will respond quickly to an email. It was important to have that sort of support.” Florence Tyler, Assistant Accountant, Lewis Manning Hospice
Features
- People
- A UK-based team who speak your language: charity and hospice finance is our domain, not an after-thought.
- Dedicated Customer Success Managers: your roadmap, your translation of requirements, your outcomes-first approach.
- Experts you can trust: whether it’s SORP-compliance, partial VAT, or complex consolidation, we’ve done it, repeatedly.
- Responsive support: from onboarding through scale-up, you’re not left on your own.
- Process
- Rapid, proven deployment: get a fully functioning environment in weeks, not months or quarters.
- Built-in workflows tailored for charities: purchase approvals, fund tracking, accruals/deferrals, inter-entity eliminations.
- Transparent, scalable model: when you grow (or add entities, legal arms, services) the system grows with you, no painful re-platforming.
- True data-driven culture: live dashboards, drill-down views, budget-holder self-service, giving your teams control, not just spreadsheets.
- Rich analytics and multi-dimensional ledger: unlimited dimensions let you report by fund, project, department and more instantly.
- Automation everywhere: bank feeds, reconciliations, invoice approval workflows, dramatically reducing manual effort.
- Product
- Cloud-native architecture: no servers, no bulky upgrades, no “legacy on-premise” compromise.
- Open API & integration-friendly: connects to your payroll, CRM, donor-management systems, so data flows, not silos.
Benefits
- People
- "We looked at other packages, including Sage and Xero, but those are huge organisations and if you’ve got an issue, you can’t just put in a call and get a response within 24 hours. With iplicit being UK-based, there’s someone on the end of the phone or who will respond quickly to an email. It was important to have that sort of support.”
Florence Tyler, Assistant Accountant, Lewis Manning Hospice
- Process.
- "Now, invoices are scanned by iplicit’s AP automation tool and are ready for approval within 30‑60 seconds, doing away with the need to email them for approval. … It’s gone from a week to get something into the system to minutes.”
Marc Brady, Head of Finance, Walking with the Wounded - “We link every transaction to a fund at the point of entry. This means that our SoFA can be generated directly from iplicit without any further data manipulation.”
David Hickson, Financial Controller, Community Foundation Ireland - "The approval workflows are probably the most useful feature. Those invoice approvals are brilliant and game-changing. That’s a big improvement for us.”
Lindsey Fellowes-Freeman, Director of Finance, Martins House Hospice
- Product
- “It was good to see a tool that checked a lot of the boxes that we believed should be standard in a good accounting system. Those features were just there and ready."
To find out more contact David Hales
Supplier: Iris Financials
IRIS Financials is an industry-leading unified ledger system that improves the speed and accuracy of your reporting. By providing powerful data at the click of a button, IRIS Financials lets people across your hospice make the decisions that matter – in real time. There’s no time-wasting reporting process; just access the data, then act.
- Our move to Iris Financials has resulted in significant improvements to our processes, saving hours of time for the finance team here at St Catherine’s Hospice. As a small team, it is important that as many processes as possible are automated and repetitive manual posting of transactions is minimised. Iris Financials has done away with messy inter-company postings, allows us to drill down to a purchase or sales invoice with ease from any part of the system, and has enabled us to automate the posting of many regular monthly transactions. The implementation of the system has speeded up our reporting timeframe, and ad hoc reporting is easy to do.
Sue Clemson, St Catherine's Hospice
Features
- A ‘unified ledger’ structure with multiple analysis dimensions and unlimited user defined fields.
- SORP compliant reports ‘out of the box’ for statutory accounting, plus bespoke donor, funder and trustee reporting.
- Inbuilt rules and events engine to replicate and automate manual calculations or processes.
- Two-way integration with other IRIS products or third-party applications.
- Automate purchase order and invoice workflows with PS Purchasing, IRIS’ web-based electronic purchasing platform. Streamline supplier invoice handling with IRIS Invoice Matcher’s intelligent OCR functionality.
Benefits
- Total flexibility. Organise, present and analyse your data in your way and according your needs.
- The reporting process is simplified. Easily identify the income each fund generates, and the expenditure associated with it.
- Reduce your month end close by days. VAT returns are quicker and easier to prepare.
- All your financial and organisational data in one place. Import, export and transform multiple data formats from multiple sources.
- Process and spend control is improved. Invoice handling is up to 71% faster, costs are reduced by as much as 80%. Total process visibility is achieved with advanced analytics.
To find out more contact Lauri Cronvall
LMS System
Supplier: Blue Stream Academy
Blue Stream Academy was founded in April 2012 and has quickly become a leading provider of eLearning to GP Practices, Nursing & Care Homes, Urgent & Tailored Care Providers, Hospices, Aesthetics Providers and Carers in the UK.
Blue Stream Academy’s Hospice eLearning Suite has been specifically developed in close collaboration with hospice managers and has been designed to train all hospice staff to a high standard by providing all necessary training via one platform.
The Hospice platform has the ability to track training and HR records across multiple sites and departments, with all reports available to download at the touch of a button. Multiple department and site access levels enable hospices to take control of their training with a simple but effective solution, whilst the integrated policy view and sign system provides managers with a single overview of policy agreements and automated reporting for any outstanding trainee signatures.
- The Blue Stream Academy system is incredibly user-friendly; I would recommend it to any organisation thinking of implementing eLearning. The support team deliver first-class service, they are friendly, efficient and nothing is too much trouble, we feel truly supported. Setting-up the system was effortless and hassle free. In no time at all the system was up and running, with the Team doing the bulk of the work and talking us through each step of the way. This is service at its best!” Sandra McEvoy – Treetops Hospice Care
Features
- 115+ CPD certified eLearning modules & 18 automated reports
- Trainee profile creation and modification
- SCORM & AICC external module compliance, enabling seamless integration with external eLearning courses
- Custom site and department creation with multiple management access levels
- External training storage and optional linking to BSA modules
- Digital policy and documentation library with automated reports outlining who has viewed or signed each document
- Real-time customer support available over the phone via live chat or email, Monday to Friday from 9am-530pm
- Unlimited system training session and support
- F2F training calendar, event notifications and reviews
- Cross sector discussion forum
- Paperless Care Certificate (CC) eLearning and practicla assessment add-on * requires CC licences to be purchased
- System ISO27001 certification for 4 years +
Benefits
- Increased administration efficiency & reporting accuracy through automated report production and export options
- Tailored training profiles to suit every organisation's needs
- BSA's platform eliminates the need fr multiple systems, saving time and money, replicating data across different platforms
- Centralised record management, combining both eLearning and external training data on one single platform
- Request digital policy signatures, link policies & documents to relevant eLearning modules & download policy agreement reports
- Save time and maximise system usage & results with unlimited system support - speak to one of our customer support specialists in real time or over the phone via our live chat option
- Our interactiv F2F booking system removes need for manual administration and enables automated follow ups
- Cross sector networking, discussion and advice - uniting over 250,000 health and care professionals across the UK
- Alleviate cumbersome paper Care Certificate workbooks and provide an engaging, interactive alternative to Care Certificate Training
- BSA's ISO270001 certification provides additional security reassurance
To find out more contact Alice Little
Supplier: FP Digital Solutions
Francotyp-Postalia, a global franking machine provider is now offering FP Sign; a secure and user-friendly digital signature solution designed for businesses and individuals who need to sign, send, and manage documents electronically. It simplifies the signing process by enabling legally compliant digital signatures, eliminating the need for physical paperwork. FP Sign ensures document integrity, security, and efficiency while adhering to global compliance standards.
This cloud-based platform integrates seamlessly with various business applications, making it ideal for remote teams, enterprises, and professionals who require a reliable and legally binding digital signature solution.
Features
- Legally Compliant Digital Signatures – Supports advanced electronic signatures that meet legal standards such as eIDAS (EU), ensuring compliance with industry regulations.
- Secure Encryption & Authentication – Uses end-to-end encryption and multi-factor authentication to protect sensitive documents.
- Cloud-Based Access – Enables users to sign and manage documents anytime, anywhere, without the need for additional software installations
- Integration with Business Applications – Compatible with CRM, ERP, and cloud storage solutions for seamless workflow integration.
- Audit Trails & Document Tracking – Provides a detailed log of signing activities, ensuring transparency and accountability.
- Multi-User & Team Collaboration – Allows multiple users to review and sign documents simultaneously, improving efficiency in team environments.
- Customisable Templates – Enables businesses to create reusable document templates for faster processing.
- Mobile-Friendly – Works on various devices, including smartphones and tablets, for convenient document signing on the go.
Benefits
- Saves Time & Resources – Eliminates the need for printing, scanning, and mailing documents, reducing administrative costs and streamlining workflows.
- Enhances Security & Compliance – Ensures that signed documents are legally valid and protected from unauthorized modifications.
- Improves Business Efficiency – Speeds up approval processes, reducing delays in contract signings and business transactions
- Eco-Friendly Solution – Supports paperless transactions, contributing to sustainability efforts.
- User-Friendly Interface – Intuitive design makes it easy for users of all technical levels to navigate and sign documents effortlessly.
- Cost effective - FP Sign is the most cost effective electronic signature platform in the UK, offering unlimited workflow capabilities at no additional cost.
To find out more contact Ellie Read
Supplier: iRota
iRota provides advanced electronic rostering software developed specifically, by nurses for nurses, for the healthcare market, including hospices.
iRota equips you to manage your rostering and staff requirements effectively. It quickly and easily provides safe and accurate staff schedules, handling holiday, shift, and time-off requests.
iRota provides the tools to manage rotas, timesheets, leave and sickness, without the headaches. With a proven track record in the hospice sector, iRota pays for itself, virtually eliminating the time spent processing timesheets and releasing senior clinical staff time from the burden of administering rotas.
iRota enables you to create an internal bank of staff, reducing reliance on costly external or agency staff. iRota integrates with leading HR software, offering a single, comprehensive solution with no configuration costs or additional modules to purchase.
Features
- Reduces the time spent (often by clinicians) managing rotas and timesheets by providing the tools to manage rotas, timesheets, leave and sickness. iRota offers a complete solution that can streamline your processes.
- Manages all types of leave automatically tracks time owing. Records hours, overtime and enhancements.
- Rapid rota writing automatically produces timesheets with fast real-time updates of rota.
- Flexible – highly configurable.
- Access to all with intuitive layout and easy to use functions, with built in help pages.
Benefits
- Will allow you to adapt to the challenges of managing complex rotas. Works in all areas of healthcare but also able to manage all the support roles; reception, catering, office staff etc.
- Highly accurate – enables you to roster staff flexibly and keep track of all the changes removing the inherent risk of miscommunications with emails, post-it notes, WhatsApp or employee-generated timesheets.
- Improved efficiency in producing and managing rotas releases senior clinical time to care. Managing timesheets is virtually eliminated from both clinical and payroll perspectives.
- Manage all staff, full-time, part-time, zero-hours, bank/agency staff in one system.
- Access and security level can be tailored to your needs from HR manager, to Sister to volunteer. No unnecessary clutter. No training required for most staff.