A digital transformation project in Calderdale has demonstrated significant potential to improve palliative care and reduce health inequalities in Central Halifax.
Supported by Pennine GP Alliance Digital Transformation Team and funded by West Yorkshire ICB, Central Halifax Primary Care Network (PCN) ran an initiative called GSF Lite – using data-driven insights to better identify patients who may be nearing the end of life.
The project aimed to enhance the quality of palliative care by using clinical markers to identify patients registered to Central Halifax PCN practices who were most likely to be at end of life in the following 12 months. The intention was to ensure timely support, improve patient experience, and better allocate resources.
Grip Analytics created a predictive model using digital searches and analysis that uncovered 240 additional patients who had not previously been identified through traditional means. Of those, 43 patients (18%) died within the predicted 12-month period, indicating that the model successfully identified individuals in need of palliative support.
Crucially, many of these newly identified patients were from ethnically diverse and more deprived communities—groups that are often underrepresented in standard palliative care lists. This highlighted a critical gap in existing identification methods and demonstrated the potential of digital tools to reduce health inequalities by reaching those who might otherwise be missed.
Will Menzies, CEO Pennine GP Alliance said:
“This pilot has clearly shown that digital approaches can help uncover unmet need in our communities and bring more equitable access to care for those at the end of life. The results speak to the power of data in tackling longstanding health disparities.”
While the GSF Lite project was a pilot, its success has sparked important conversations about how similar approaches could be embedded more permanently in primary care strategies.
Pennine GP Alliance and Central Halifax PCN hope the findings support the case for broader adoption of ethically driven, data-led healthcare initiatives.