As Executive Director of Income, Innovation, Digital and Engagement, Andrea is constantly looking at how things could work better.
“I’m always looking for problems to fix,” she says. “My job is to be curious and find out what’s getting in the way and find a way to fix it.”
That approach is now helping shape conversations across the wider hospice sector. Andrea recently joined Hospice UK’s Technology Leaders Steering Group, bringing together a group of people from hospices across the country with expertise spanning IT, data, digital transformation and project management.
For Andrea, the value of the group is not simply discussing technology, but sharing experiences and finding practical solutions to challenges that many hospices face but may not have the resources to tackle alone.
Sharing knowledge across the hospice sector
Many hospices are not that large, meaning they may not have dedicated technology specialists. Financial pressures can also make it tempting to keep older systems going for as long as possible. However, this make do and mend approach can ultimately cost more money in the long run.
The steering group is looking at how hospices can work together to avoid that duplication. Hospice UK can help broker training, share best practice and identify solutions that could be made more affordable when accessed collectively.
It also means hospices can learn from one another before investing their own time and money, including learning from projects that have not worked as expected.
Transforming the way Keech works
Keech has already made significant progress, including a major transformation of its customer relationship management (CRM) system. The project took around two years, but the result is a much more joined-up system in which information can work across different areas of the organisation.
Andrea says: “The new CRM will be quicker and easier to use, with cleaner data and greater opportunities for everyone to engage with supporters and build relationships. This is what digital transformation is really about, using technology to unlock real life potential.”
It is part of a wider programme of change at Keech. A new learning management system was introduced earlier this year, making it easier for colleagues to access training and track their progress, while a new volunteer system is helping manage volunteer shifts.
The focus is now moving towards systems behind the scenes, including cybersecurity and data security, alongside exploring how innovation could support the delivery of care.
More time for what matters
Andrea believes that technology can and should also reduce some of the routine administrative work involved in running a hospice.
“Hospices deal with large amounts of paperwork, compliance, policies and data,” she says. “Much of this work is essential, but technology and automation can take away some of the repetitive tasks, giving people more time to put their expertise to best use.”
Technology could also help Keech develop a clearer understanding of the people it supports, from patients and families to volunteers and supporters, so that the organisation can better understand their needs and tailor the way it communicates with them.
Working together for the future
Andrea’s involvement with Hospice UK’s Technology Leaders Steering Group gives Keech the opportunity to contribute to wider change, while bringing new ideas and learning back into the hospice.
She believes collaboration will be increasingly important as hospices look for ways to make limited resources go further: “With the group, it’s about how we do that at a national sector level rather than in every individual hospice where it isn’t always possible or affordable,” she says.
For Keech, digital transformation is not an end in itself. It is about removing obstacles, making better use of resources and creating more time for the people at the heart of the hospice.