Aussie Health App Gets UK Charity Awards Nod

An innovative website and app created by Palliative Care Australia and its international colleagues has made the shortlist for UK-based Civil Society Media’s The Charity Awards.

The awards, which aim to identify, recognise and reward organisations doing exceptional work in all areas of charitable activity, have shortlisted the website and app, ehospice, in the Healthcare and Medical Research category.

ehospice was set up to connect the wide range of different professionals working in end of life care across the world, by offering a central platform where they can access the latest developments in the sector, collaborate and share knowledge.

Palliative Care Australia manages the Australian edition of ehospice and CEO Dr Yvonne Luxford, Chair of the ehospice Management Committee, said this was just the beginning of what can be achieved through the project.

“Being shortlisted for this award is a tremendous compliment given how young the platform is. I’m confident that as ehospice grows, we’ll start to realise real improvements in patient care through the sharing of best practice and knowledge in an internationally collaborative manner,” Dr Luxford said.

“Each year, 20 million people require palliative care yet less than 10 per cent receive it. We’re providing a place  where health professionals can go to access the latest information and resources, and where people living  with terminal illness, their families and carers can share their stories. It’s a truly unique project.”

Less than two years old, ehospice has 12 editions from around the world and has recently continued its global expansion with the launch of an edition in Latin America published in both Spanish and Portuguese.

"We are delighted that ehospice has made it to the shortlist of these prestigious awards – a notable achievement, particularly given it was launched less than two years ago,” ehospice Project Manager Daniel Ward said.

"ehospice strives to share knowledge and expertise about hospice and palliative care to a wider audience, so it is great to see our work recognised as a beacon of best practice in this area."

According to The Charity Awards, the award nominees will be judged by a panel of voluntary sector experts.

It said to decide the winners, the judges would assess each entry against 10 Hallmarks of Excellence – 10 traits or attributes that should be present in any successful project.

The winners will be announced on June 12.

To learn more about ehospice, watch this video here.