Ruth Brown became a member of our board of trustees in 2021, following her retirement as the manager of our Hospice at Home service, and a nursing career spanning almost two decades. Here, in her own words, Ruth explains how she is ‘very proud’ to be a trustee for the charity, and what she gets out of her role…
‘I retired as Hospice at Home manager at the end of March 2021. I had shown an interest in joining the board during my six years at the hospice, so once eligible on retirement, I expressed an interest. I was invited to join the board in September, and attended my first board meeting in November 2021.
‘Ending my nursing career at Blythe House, I had the opportunity to establish Hospice at Home as a new service. As an advocate and with passion for the best end of life care; this was a dream come true. Blythe House believed in me and I wanted to give back to the charity and support its continued growth and success.
‘When joining the board, you become part of a committed team with a shared responsibility to keep the charity safe; to do our best for our communities who access our services; and act as an ambassador.
‘Achievements are shared rather than on an individual basis. We are seeing the hospice continue to grow, and the new Hospice at Home rapid response service is a great achievement, further supporting our Hospice at Home care delivery.
‘The board continues to consider expansion of any retail opportunities and would be keen to grow in the Derbyshire Dales, where our demand for services is increasing. We continue to support growth of our Hospice at Home team and look to secure funding opportunities through the work of Shane O’Reilly, our CEO.
‘Being a trustee is rewarding and allows you the opportunity to influence care delivery in your community. You build new friendships and meet the staff who provide many of our services.
‘A quarterly board cycle includes clinical committee which I attend as a clinician; finance committee; and then the board meetings, with an annual AGM. These all happen on Monday evenings. We have a couple of Saturday mornings each year where we come together to consolidate as a team and look at specific issues.
‘Trustees may be invited to attend the monthly staff meeting on Wednesday morning for an hour or so. I feel this is a great opportunity to connect with our staff and let them get to know us and that they matter. It is essential that you are available for as many meetings as possible however the occasional apology is accepted.
‘As well as being a trustee, I volunteer my time at events and in one of the hospice’s high street shops. This is not compulsory; however, it is a great way of meeting the volunteers who are such an essential asset and keep our charity running.
‘My first eighteen months as a trustee have been rewarding with lots of opportunity for debate and decision making, and I hope to offer my services as a trustee for the foreseeable future.’
Could you make a difference and join a board of trustees with an ambitious strategy to grow the amount of high-quality care and support services to people affected by life-limiting illness across the High Peak, Hope Valley, Derbyshire Dales and North East Derbyshire?
We are seeking to recruit passionate and committed new trustees to our board to bring additional knowledge and input, to help shape future strategy and direction for growth at a crucial time for the organisation. Find out more.
