The Chairman of the Trustees, Bob Neilans, welcomes Chris Wheway into his new role
St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice has appointed Chris Wheway as its new chief executive.
Chris is currently the Divisional Director of Urgent and Planned Care for Derbyshire Healthcare Foundation Trust, and will take up his post on 2 November.
Chris will join St Barnabas following a long career within the NHS in both Lincolnshire and Derbyshire, spanning 12 years.
“I am really looking forward to starting my role as Chief Executive of St Barnabas and leading the organisation in what I believe to be an exciting time for palliative care,” says Mr Wheway.
Commenting on Mr Wheway’s appointment, the hospice’s Chairman of Trustees, Bob Neilans, said:
“On behalf of the Hospice I am pleased to welcome Chris to the organisation. He has extensive NHS experience and I am confident he will quickly embrace the St Barnabas ethos of innovation and excellence. I look forward to Chris taking the Hospice forward.”
He will take over an organisation that has driven innovation to become a centre of excellence in taking the quality of end of life care to new heights.
St Barnabas Hospice has seen a significant increase in the demand for its services, most significantly their day therapy services which over the last two years has seen a 177% increase in the number of people accessing the service, which is wholly funded by charitable donations.
In the last 12 months the charity’s community hospice at home teams have cared for more than 1,700 patients in their own homes across the county and for over 350 people at its inpatient facilities in Lincoln and Grantham.
Last year saw the launch of the UK’s first “Hospice in the Hospital” at Grantham, an innovative partnership with the acute trust and the Southwest Clinical Commissioning Group to provide a purpose designed, six-bedded community hospice unit within Grantham and District Hospital.
Mr Wheway added: “St Barnabas has an excellent reputation for delivering high-quality person-centered care and I am privileged to be part of what I believe to be a compassion-focused and innovative organisation.
“It is clear that the next five years will see wide-ranging changes in the health and social care environment. My aim is to be at the forefront of this change, listening to patients their families and carers, to ensure that we not only continue to provide high-quality services and lead the development of palliative care in Lincolnshire but that through innovation and partnerships, we support more people closer to home.”