From Shelf to System Impact: What This Award Really Represents - itech 2026

Coming home from the TSA 2026 conference with an award recognising our work is something we’re incredibly proud of, and to have it presented by Tanni Grey Thompson elevated it even higher.

The Connected Care Programme has been a significant journey, not just in scale, but in what it represents for how health and care systems can truly work with a shared ambition.

What makes this recognition so meaningful is the transformation behind it to recognise deterioration, communicate this using a shared language and be heard across the system

Because this didn’t start with success.

From a digital perspective, it started with boxes, equipment sitting on shelves, not benefiting the people they were designed for. Like so many well-intentioned initiatives, the challenge wasn’t the technology itself. It was everything around it: confidence, capability, workflow, ownership, and system alignment, optimising the NEWS2 score.

Today, that same equipment is actively used in practice. It is supporting care home staff to make confident handovers that go on to improve resident outcomes, reduce avoidable admissions, and deliver measurable impact across the system.

That shift, from reactive to proactive preventive care, is where These Hands Academy comes in.

What This Says About Our Work at These Hands Academy

At These Hands Academy, this is exactly where our expertise lies.

We don’t just deliver training. We support transformation.

We work with local authorities, health systems, and innovators to ensure that devices, tools, and equipment are not just deployed, but truly embedded into care. That means:

• Building confidence and capability in the workforce

• Designing workflows that make sense in real-world settings

• Supporting onboarding and implementation at scale

• Aligning with governance, safety, and system priorities

• Measuring impact in a way that matters robustly

Because technology on its own doesn’t change outcomes, people, systems, and behaviours do.

And when those come together, the results are powerful.

An Award Shared

Receiving this award from Tanni Grey-Thompson was a real honour.

But what made the moment truly special was sharing it with the people who make this work happen every day, our care home staff. Their willingness to learn, adapt, and lead change is what turns ideas into impact.

Connections That Matter

The iTech conference was also a reminder of the strength of the community working in this space.

It was fantastic to reconnect with colleagues and friends and to meet so many inspiring people and their innovations in this space as it starts to also shift into the prevention space.

These conversations matter. They are where ideas grow, partnerships form, and the next phase of innovation begins.

What Comes Next

We leave iTech feeling proud, but more importantly, energised.

Because this award isn’t the end of something. It’s a marker of what’s possible.

And we are just getting started.

At These Hands Academy, we remain committed to helping systems move from intention to impact, ensuring that every piece of equipment, every innovation, and every programme truly benefits the people it was designed for.

Simple. Direct. Impactful.