Collaborating with Sue Ryder and Keech Hospice: new palliative & end-of-life pathway for Luton and Bedford

We are delighted to share a meaningful collaboration, this time, between HUC, Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice in Bedford, and Keech Hospice in Luton, working together with the Bedford, Luton & Milton Keynes ICB, to transform how palliative and end-of-life (EoL) patients access support across Luton and Bedford.

Together, we’ve launched NHS 111 Option 4, a dedicated 24/7 coordination service designed to support palliative care patients and their loved ones when they need it most. This service ensures that patients receive timely, compassionate care and guidance, day or night – helping to reduce stress for families and streamline care for those at the end-of-life.

“This service builds on the experience HUC has developed with other hospice partners and it now becomes a tool accessible to patients across Bedfordshire, Luton, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. It stands as a powerful example of what can be achieved when providers and commissioners collaborate around a shared vision of patient-centred care.” says Barbara Moran, Head of Transformation.

The aim of this project was simple but vital: to create a more coordinated and efficient way for patients and families to access the personal, specialist support they need. By bringing together hospice expertise, commissioner oversight, and HUC’s strengths in transforming telephony and care access, we have delivered a pathway that enhances how people access support.

“We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work with both Sue Ryder and Keech Hospice, and for the support and leadership of the BLMK ICB. This service will enable more people to be cared for where they most want to be, at home or within hospices, and is projected to reduce end-of-life hospital admissions,” says Lara Galliford, Relationship Business Partner.

Our teams worked side-by-side to design an improved route through NHS 111, ensuring callers receive clearer, faster, and more connected support. To strengthen collaboration, hospice coordination staff visited our NHS 111 call centre to see first-hand how the new pathway will operate and what the patient journey currently looks like.

This pathway expands on our previous hospice partnership work and is now available to patients across Luton, Bedford, Cambridge, and Peterborough,

From the outset, Keech and Sue Ryder played a crucial role in shaping a pathway that reflects real patient needs. Working alongside the ICB, both hospices helped evidence the need for a more streamlined, connected approach. Their expertise, combined with HUC’s ability to innovate care access through NHS 111’s telephony systems, means callers now receive timely, compassionate support delivered through the specialist expertise of our hospice partners.

We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work with both Sue Ryder and Keech Hospice, and for the support and leadership of the BLMK ICB. Together, we have sparked an innovative collaboration that places patients firmly at its centre and make a difference for patients and families.

A huge thank you to everyone involved in this project, including the Transformation team and our Relationship Business Partners.

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Collaborating with Sue Ryder and Keech Hospice: new palliative & end-of-life pathway for Luton and Bedford

A collaboration to be proud of