Senior Leadership Team

About Stuart: Stuart brings extensive leadership experience from across the health and care sector, including shaping national healthcare policy and legislation. As a Chief Officer at NHS Sussex, he spearheaded the transformation of All-Age Continuing Care services, creating a single, integrated service to ensure the delivery of safe, high-quality and equitable care provision for individuals with complex needs or those requiring end-of-life care.     From Stuart: “It’s a very exciting time to be joining the charity. Having previously been a Trustee for St Barnabas Hospices, I have seen first-hand the essential work that the hospices do for adults, children, young people and their families across Sussex and South-East Hampshire and I’m thrilled to be part of that.”

About Katie: Katie has worked in the charity sector, specialising in fundraising, philanthropy, and major gifts for over 20 years, and has worked in a variety of charitable organisations ranging from international development at Oxfam and Sightsavers to arts and heritage charities at a national and local level. Katie joined Southern Hospice Group in 2021 and is responsible for all our voluntary income and marketing and communications across all three hospices.     From Katie: “One of the best parts of my job is that I get to meet lots of people who are connected to our organisation in some way, either as a supporter, a patient, or a family member. I often find myself talking with someone in our community who has benefitted from using one of our hospices and I feel honoured to be a part of an organisation that has such a positive impact on patients and family’s lives.”

From Kathleen: “I’m excited to work with such brilliant teams at St Barnabas House, Chestnut Tree House and Martlets, where I can bring my professional experience into an organisation that I’m passionate about.”

About Clare: Clare joined the organisation in June 2023 and is a Chartered Member of CIPD and has over 20 years HR experience in a range of private and public sector organisations. Her role covers the delivery of the HR operations portfolio which includes HR and payroll administration, recruitment and employee relations management. Clare is enthusiastic in her approach and considers her key strengths are in developing strong working relationships with people to influence positive results for managers and their teams.   From Clare: “I am incredibly proud to work for Southern Hospice Group, and with colleagues from across whole the organisation who demonstrate on a daily basis their passion and commitment to what they do.”

About Jane: Jane is a consultant in palliative medicine and has worked in palliative care for 18 years in community, hospice inpatient and hospital posts in the UK and overseas both as a GP and as a palliative care specialist. She works closely with the Head of Service to provide clinical and strategic leadership for the hospice, clinical insight into discussions at the executive team level. Jane continues to be involved in direct patient care, training, education, research and governance alongside this role. She lives in Hove and is a very keen Charleston dancer and sea dipper.   From Jane: “I am passionate about working within multi-professional teams to deliver effective holistic and equitable care in a sustainable way for both patients, their loved ones and our own staff. I believe palliative care is everyone’s business.”

About Cathy: As Finance Director, Cathy brings extensive multi-disciplinary experience across hospice, healthcare, and charitable organisations, including start-ups. She provides strategic financial leadership to support high quality, compassionate end-of-life care, ensuring resources are used effectively to maximise impact. Cathy is committed to strong governance, collaboration, and sustaining services that truly meet the needs of local communities.   From Cathy: “I am passionate about supporting compassionate, person-centred end-of-life care through strong and sustainable charities. I am proud to be part of an incredible team at Southern Hospice Group, which allows me to combine financial leadership with shared values, collaboration, and purpose. I believe in using resources wisely, supporting our colleagues, and ensuring we can continue caring for those who need us most, now and in the future.”

About Alison: Alison is a registered nurse for both adults and children, with an extensive career spanning clinical practice, executive leadership and consultancy.  After completing her training, she worked across a wide range of children’s services, delivering care in both hospital and home settings. She has significant experience at executive board level, having held several chief nurse roles in hospitals across London, Sussex and Qatar.  She concluded her substantive NHS executive career as Chief Nurse and Deputy Chief Executive at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children.  Since stepping down from this role, Alison has undertaken a number of projects as an independent health care consultant and for NHS England.  She is also a trustee of Shooting Star Children’s Hospices. From Alison: “I am delighted to have joined Southern Hospice Group and am deeply committed to ensuring that patients, families and carers receive the highest standard of care during some of their most challenging times.”