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Background In May 2021, Farleigh Hospice, Havens Hospices, and St Luke’s Hospice formed the Hospice Collaboration Partnership to reduce healthcare inequalities and align services for Mid and South Essex communities. The Hospice Collaboration Partnership commissioned an engagement survey (led by Healthwatch Essex) with residents about their experiences of palliative care. The Hospice Rapid Access Service, a hospice-inspired care pathway was commissioned, providing 24-hour care placements in either a hospice inpatient or care home and community care for adults in the region.Aims To ease demand on the health and social care system while aligning with local authority services, helping patients achieve their preferred place of care and death, improving the quality of life, reducing anxiety for families, and reducing inappropriate hospital admissions and stays for end-of-life.Methods The Hospice Rapid Access Service facilitates timely discharges from acute, community, and hospice settings, supports patients in their homes, coordinates care transitions, and provides individualised care in a hospice, nursing home, or at home.Results The Hospice Rapid Access Service launched across Mid-South Essex in August 2023, with hospices offering rapid responses to patients’ changing needs, choice, flexibility and enhanced care. Face-to-face assessments and reviews. In the first year of the contract, the Hospice Rapid Access Service cared for 1,129 patients who would otherwise have been in a hospital bed, delivering 33,376 nights of care and freeing up 91 hospital beds every day for a year. Care was in place within an average of three days and patients spent between 9 to 51 days in their preferred place of care. Overall, the Hospice Rapid Access Service received 3,569 referrals and accepted 3,115 up to the end of August 2024.Conclusions The Hospice Rapid Access Service has allowed the three hospices to open beds that were not being used, increase the reach into their communities, improve working relationships, enhancing pathways whilst saving the ICB 1.5 million in its first year and won the HSJ Partnership Award 2025: Best Not for Profit Working in Partnership with the NHS.