Pendleside Hospice boss to stay on after change of heart

Pendleside Hospice has announced that Helen McVey will stay on as chief executive, following her decision last month to leave for another hospice.
Pendleside Hospice chief executive Helen McVeyPendleside Hospice chief executive Helen McVey
Pendleside Hospice chief executive Helen McVey

Helen was due to take up the role of chief executive at St Catherine’s Hospice, Preston, in August.

However, after a period of reflection she decided her future was at Pendleside where she said she is committed to helping staff through the current crisis and its aftermath.

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“I reconsidered my decision when our chairman David Brown said to me last week that it wasn’t too late to change my mind. It prompted me to reconsider my options for the future.

“David’s comments made me reflect both personally and professionally, especially in light of the pandemic.

“I considered all the hard work that’s been done in the past to secure Pendleside’s future of which we are seeing the benefit of during these unprecedented times. Because of this I’m sure that Pendleside will survive and flourish during the difficult times ahead.

“I also thought about the work that’s been implemented over the last few weeks to increase bed capacity which has reinforced what I already knew that we have a brilliant team at Pendleside. This includes the forward thinking and support of all concerned, and how proud I am to be part of this and how much I would miss working with everybody.

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“This made me certain that I wanted to stay at Pendleside, to support the team through the crisis and its aftermath and the many challenges and opportunities that may lie ahead.

“Having made the decision I want to reassure people that I’m completely committed to Pendleside and very much look forward to working with everyone into the future.”

Helen (50) joined Pendleside as clinical services manager in 2004 and became chief executive in January, 2015.

During her time at the helm Pendleside has achieved a collection of business and health care awards including the prestigious Red Rose Health and Care Business of the Year 2019; the BIBA Third Sector Business of the Year 2019; and the Pendle Business Awards ‘Making A Local Difference’ award 2018.

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This year Pendleside was also shortlisted in the Red Rose Awards categories for In-House Training and Retail Business.

Chairman of Pendleside’s Trustees David Brown said: “I would like to say how delighted we are that Helen has decided to stay with us.

“During this Covid crisis, there has been and will continue to be many challenges. Under Helen’s leadership, the entire Pendleside team has risen superbly to these challenges, coming up with innovative and flexible ways of working in a very short space of time.

“We cannot think of a better person than Helen to continue to lead the team during what, it now seems, will be a prolonged period of readjustment to a new ‘normal’.

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“We have also strengthened our relationship with the Clinical Commissioning Group and other agencies during this time. When this is over we will be able to build on that and come out the other side stronger than ever.

“Meanwhile, there is much to do tackling the here and now, and we have an excellent Senior Management Team to guide us through this and towards the future. As Helen has said, one of the main reasons why she has decided to stay at Pendleside was the people who work and volunteer here.

“We look forward to working with Helen for many years to come.”