"It shouldn't take a crisis - or a workaround - to ensure that health and social care professionals have the right information about a person in their care, exactly when they need it.”

This was one of many quotes from conversations we had at the recent Local Government Technology Conference. Without the right digital tools and agreements in place, collaboration is difficult – this is where RIVIAM comes in. 

Solving the information sharing challenge in health and social care

On Wednesday 4 June, we had the opportunity to exhibit at the Local Government Technology Conference at the QEII Centre in Westminster. Across the day, we had many valuable conversations that highlighted a real challenge local authorities are facing - sharing information securely across health and social care to deliver personalised care. 

RIVIAM helps solve this by providing a secure platform where information can be securely shared between provider organisations, with clear controls over who can see and access what, creating trust and enabling better care co-ordination. Our work directly supports the ambitions of the NHS 10-Year Plan for greater integration and efficiency across health and social care.

Our focus: enabling better, joined-up care

Our focus for the event was sharing how RIVIAM’s Multi-agency Referral Hub is helping local authorities, third sector and healthcare providers work together more effectively. 

Referrals from professionals can be managed in one place, shared securely between organisations and tracked from start to finish. It means people get the support they need faster and services can work together more easily. 

We also spoke about our Hospital to Home service, which is enabling quicker discharges of medically fit patients from hospital by co-ordinating referrals to community and voluntary sector teams. By reducing delays and improving communication, this service is helping people return home with the right support in place - something that resonated strongly with many attendees. 

We introduced our Hospital to Home service at the Royal United Hospital (RUH) Bath in 2023 and have since then reduced the number of clinically-well patients awaiting discharge by more than 50%. A recent business case review of BaNES Community Wellbeing Hub (CWH) which uses RIVIAM has also found a £4 return per £1 invested. Read the business case here.

Integration with clinical systems

RIVIAM’s services integrate seamlessly with clinical systems like TPP SystmOne and EMIS, providing real-time updates. This ensures that the right professionals can have up-to-date information about the people they are supporting and that all the information that is put into RIVIAM can automatically be updated in the organisation’s clinical systems – thus no need to disclose information multiple times.

Proof that collaboration between sectors is possible

BaNES CWH is living proof that collaboration between different organisations and sectors is possible. The CWH is a partnership between 37 organisations including NHS, social care, third sector and research organisations which are all connected using RIVIAM’s Multi-agency Referral Hub. Interested in the CWH’s journey? Read more about their impact and 5 year anniversary here.

Great conversations and inspiring ideas

Throughout the day, we met brilliant people from councils, government and tech organisations - and the conversations we had were both insightful and encouraging.

There was a lot of excitement about the potential of AI tools, especially in areas like hospital discharge. Our work on AI-enabled solutions, such as the Clutter Classifier, sparked interest from people exploring how digital tools can support decision-making and early intervention at home. Our Sadie AI Clutter Classifier also started great conversations about how this tool could support the housing sector and how Sadie AI could be developed to help support assessments in other areas. This is an area we’re really keen to explore further, as we see huge potential for AI to help housing teams respond more proactively and efficiently.

Innovation, challenges and opportunities

It was insightful to hear from other providers about some of the challenges they face – particularly around engaging with local authorities on new digital solutions. It's clear there's innovation happening, but more support is needed to bridge the gap between ideas and implementation. This is why events like these are so important, to spread awareness, connect and work together towards outcomes to improve people’s lives.

Looking ahead

We left the conference feeling inspired by the dedication and innovation across the sector. There’s a real appetite for change and we’re proud to be part of that journey – helping build more connected, efficient services through smart technology.

A big thank you to everyone who came to talk to us and to the organisers for hosting such a fantastic event. We’re looking forward to continuing the conversations and working together to make a real difference.

Want to find out more?
If you're exploring ways to improve collaboration across local services or would like to see how our services could support your work, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with us by emailing [email protected] or read more about the services we offer here.