Hospice Isle of Man is set to welcome a new chief executive in the new year as its current head Anne Mills retires from the position.

She steps down this month after six years with the charity that supports families in the island with palliative care, saying she wishes to spend more time with her grandchildren and travel with her family.

She said that her time with Hospice has been defining in her career.

‘Hospice Isle of Man is a wonderful and never ending story, and I have thoroughly enjoyed my chapter,’ she said.

‘However it is now time to retire and hand over the baton to someone new. It has been an honour and a privilege to have lived and worked in the island for over six years.

‘Working at Hospice has been the highlight of my long and full career, and I am now looking forward to spending more time with my family.

‘I leave Hospice with a touch of sadness but also with many fantastic memories and great friends.’

She told the Isle of Man Examiner that her proudest achievement was Hospice’s most recent inspection report stating it has ‘outstanding’ clinical care.

The chief executive said: ‘The inspection reports have come in and have said we’re outstanding, that we’re very person centred, that our care wraps around patients and families, and it’s clear to see the culture is focused on high quality care.

‘These are the things you want to walk away from and have heard.

‘It’s definitely the biggest thing I’ll remember.’

Mrs Mills added: ‘I think we’ve probably got the best facilities in the UK at the moment for our patients, and the staff, working environment.

‘This is because we refurbished our unit from money that the Tevir Group left us.

‘Another achievement is the development of the academic sector and leading global initiatives on integrated care for end of life care.

‘I’ve also chaired a global group.

‘Just to have the Isle of Man having that recognition is fantastic, and the island is now signed up to the global collaborative for best care for the dying person.

‘That’s part of a very prestigious group of people, so the people of the Isle of Man can be absolutely guaranteed that the end of life care they experience is exceptional.

‘We won an award at the Isle of Man Newspapers’ Awards for Excellence for our Wild in Art too.

‘Just recently, I won the institute of directors award for the third sector. I based that on what the strategy’s achieved in challenging times.’

Hospice has also been undertaking a transformational strategy.

‘We’ve been looking at taking us into that digital world in a very, very focused and concentrated way, so it enhances all of our efficiencies,’ Mrs Mills said.

Another highlight has also been the creation of Hospice’s strategy ‘Much More than a Building’, putting the organisation’s building ‘at the heart’ of what it does but focusing on what people told Hospice matters to them.

Taking over her role is John Knight, who has ‘extensive’ experience in the third sector.

He will begin his new position on January 3, 2023 after seven years as the chief executive of the LOROS hospice, which services Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland in England.

Mr Knight left the post in March and was the chief executive of the Percy Hedley Foundation in Newcastle until leaving in September.

Currently, Hospice Isle of Man is struggling to make ends meet as its running costs have been greater than its income for at least the past year.

It’s calling for more certainty around funding as there are sustainability concerns.

When asked if she was concerned about passing the baton on at such a difficult time for Hospice Isle of Man, Mrs Mills wasn’t worried.

She said: ‘The hospice that John has been working in have got similar credentials to us in many respects and they’ve got a much, much bigger area and a bigger budget line to manage.

‘But we’ve got one organisation to work with. They have a similar set up to us with a much bigger population base.

‘He should be well versed on where the strategic direction of Hospices are going, certainly in the UK.

‘We do follow a lot of the strategic direction that’s been set by Hospice UK because we inform on consultations and define what they’re seeing.’

She explained that one of her previous jobs before taking on chief executive was policy lead for end of life care in the government, so she was ‘ahead of the curve’, much like Mr Knight will be.

‘We’re on that trajectory of how hospices should be defined in the 21st century, and what contemporary modern services should look like,’ Mrs Mills added. ‘It’s a great platform to spring from here.

‘I think that Mr Knight will be able to enhance the legacy that’s been left with everything that we’ve done in the previous strategy, because the new strategy should get launched next year.

‘Despite the circumstances we’ve met most of the objectives we’ve sought to achieve.’

Hospice Isle of Man chairman Chris Hall felt the organisation was in safe hands as Mr Knight ‘knows the island well’.

He said: ‘He’s got a wonderful background because he previously ran the Children’s Centre here.

‘He has outstanding hospice experience, working for the fifth biggest Hospice in the UK, but he also knows the island really well.’

‘There is, of course, a double edged sword for a new CEO because actually, there are more people where he’s coming from to do more of the jobs.

‘In a smaller organisation like ours there’s less people to do all the same jobs. Everybody multi-tasks.’

Mrs Mills added: ‘There’s a great level of leadership and governance here and entrepreneurial spirit around where we’re at.

‘We’re at the forefront of clinical care. We’re working globally with the outcomes collaborative. We’re doing a lot of the same types of contemporary and visionary stuff that the Hospice that John has worked at are involved in as well.

‘I hope the transition is not too difficult for him. He can build on and enhance and bring always on ideas and a business management, revenue, income, and change some of the energy levels, so that’s great.

‘I do feel quite hopeful.’

Mr Hall thanked Mrs Mills for all her work with the charity in the island, saying: ‘Being chief executive of any charity is a very, very challenging, very demanding role but being chief executive of Hospice, particularly during a period of Covid and all the global economic turbulence, is probably one of the most difficult jobs in the island.

‘Everybody associated with Hospice would like to commend Anne for her energy, her enthusiasm, and her hard work.

‘We provide services 24/7 by 365 and I’m pretty sure Anne has been working 24/7 by 365.

‘We thank her and wish her and her husband Ken, who’s also been a great volunteer for Hospice, all the best in the future.’