Chief Executive

Job/Role Summary

• To lead the organisation, which provides palliative care services for adults and children through Inpatient, Day and Home Care Services.
• Education and Research activities in palliative care are also provided.
• To secure resources from statutory sources and the public.

Specific qualifications and experience required

• Clinical professional or health related managerial qualifications at degree level.
• Experience of working in a multi-professional environment.
• 5 years experience of strategic planning and resource management skills.

Career Milestones

During a period of time as a Nurse Manager/Teacher in an NHS Hospice, I had many opportunities to work with national professional, government and voluntary agencies to develop hospice/palliative care as a nursing speciality and to see services initiated. I then moved to a post as a Macmillan Regional Nurse where my role built on opportunities in my previous job and widened out into general policy and strategic change management. During my time as a Regional Nursing Officer in England I was given further opportunities to lead nursing developments in regulation. (I was appointed a member of UKCC (former body to NMC)) with a remit for Education (moved nursing schools into higher education) and Practice (standard setting). Then as Chief Nursing Officer in the DHSSPSNI I had the opportunity to work with Ministers and Senior Civil Servants to lead health policy and nursing response.

What attracted you to this job?

• Being able to lead an organisation.
• My passion for palliative care and the need to see the speciality strengthened and access improved.
• Working within a team.
• Being able to try something different – working in a new sector.

Enjoyable aspects of the job/role

• Team working – planning for strategic development and change.
• Making a difference for vulnerable people.
• Variety – working across sectors, meeting lots of different people and working from practice to policy issues.

Important success factors

• My contact with good role models in Dame Cecily Saunders (Founder of the modern hospice movement), Regional General Manager, Chief Nursing Officer colleagues.
• Being willing to take a risk and change jobs and location.
• Being able to select co-workers and team members who can do what I cannot and facilitate them to achieve goals.

Advice for those considering the type of job/role?

I would encourage a colleague to consider the voluntary sector as a place to make a difference. I would encourage nurses to take on organisational leadership roles and to think about these sorts of roles in their future career development. I would recommend having a clear vision and set of goals that you want to achieve, and to build a team which shares these aspirations.

Key skills that can be gained within this job/role?

• Networking
• Influencing
• Stake-holder management
• Resource management
• Organisational development
• Lobbying and advocacy
• Cross sectorial working
• Strategic change management

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