Hospice’s new chief executive looks to the future

The newly-appointed chief executive of St Catherine’s Hospice is determined to ‘further the path of progress and innovation’ made during the pandemic and the charity’s 35-year history, to ensure that ‘this very special organisation remains right at the heart of the community it is here to serve’.

Lynn Kelly, who has a strong professional background in media, education and training, has worked at the Lostock Hall charity for the last nine years as Director of Knowledge and Technical. She has managed a number of essential areas of the hospice’s work including education, training, volunteering, IT, facilities and clinical administration.

Lynn has been instrumental in guiding St Catherine’s through the changes brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, and has succeeded Stephen Greenhalgh as chief executive following his retirement earlier this month.

She said: “St Catherine’s is truly a wonderful place – there’s kindness and creativity in every corner. It goes without saying that there are challenges ahead but also exciting opportunities too.

“I feel certain that the amazing team we have here will take us from strength to strength over the coming months and years – we have achieved so much together already and I’m looking forward to working with colleagues and our amazing communities as we move forward.

“Clearly we need to make sure that we negotiate the ongoing impact of the pandemic as we move towards winter and the likely after-effects next spring and summer. We know already how closure of our charity shops and The Mill café, plus the cancellation of our summer fundraising events have hit our finances this year, but we are expecting an even bigger impact over the next 12 months without the levels of government funding we’ve had so far.”

Lynn has also played a key role in the charity’s new research programmes, patient and family involvement, and partnerships with other hospices and academic institutions including the University of Central Lancashire and Runshaw College.

“Going forward, we are still very much committed to the vision that everyone should have quality of life to the end of life, and in working towards this we must work more closely with and alongside local communities to understand their needs,” she added.

“We need to work in partnership with others to shape services to meet the inevitable and growing demand for hospice and palliative care. We must learn from research and evidence-based practice so that the best treatments and therapies are available to patients, and we must harness our online and technological capabilities to help us help more people. And we must always put patients and families at the centre of everything we do – we must listen and learn from them.

“For me it’s about making sure that St Catherine’s remains very much in the hearts and minds of the people we are here to serve. Our communities have been truly astonishing in their unwavering support for the hospice over the past 35 years and especially in recent months – we simply wouldn’t be here without them and we thank them wholeheartedly. I’m looking forward to embarking on this next chapter together.”

John Chesworth, Chair of the Board of Trustees, said: “We are delighted to appoint Lynn as the new CEO of St Catherine’s. Lynn demonstrates our values of being caring, compassionate and committed in the delivery of high quality end of life care for the people of Central Lancashire. Her knowledge of the organisation and experience working with a wide range of teams and partners will be invaluable as we address issues arising from the Coronavirus crisis.”

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