Ex-staff nurse becomes Hospice Trustee

Anne Bender has been involved with the Hospice for over 20 years, as a nurse, volunteer, fundraiser, has had experienced our care first hand when a relative was in the care of the Hospice at Home team. This year, she became a Trustee. As part of Trustees Week (7-13 November 2022) she tells us why she decided to take the next step.

I was delighted to be appointed a Trustee of our wonderful hospice in June this year.

I have been actively involved one way or another in SFH since November 2001. I have experienced being a relative of a loved one in the care of Hospice at Home. I used to be a Staff Nurse on the Hospice ward and with the Hospice at Home team. I have fundraised and volunteered in recent years and am now given the privilege to be a Trustee.  It is a big task and one I do not take on lightly.

The Hospice is a treasure in our community.  The people who work within it are so highly skilled and dedicated and equalled only by the amazing volunteers who support us so marvellously and without whom we could not be the gold standard palliative care centre of excellence that we are.

I want to make sure everyone is valued,  given a voice and will continue to love being a part of one of our countries finest palliative care centres.

The Hospice is a happy place to work and to be a part of. 

I am very fortunate to know many of the staff and volunteers and will look forward to meeting all those I have not yet met.

How trustees help to support a charity

Trustees are the people who everyone can approach to talk to, and tell us, in confidence, how their experience of the Hospice affects them.  It's up to us to make sure the Hospice is well governed, but also that the people within it realise how valued they are.

My experiences as a clinical nurse and as a businesswoman gives me, I hope, a good insight into practical problems as well as finance and management.

In today's tumultuous times, with changes happening fast, we must keep pace but keep steady, and continue to provide our remarkable services to our community.

We must be aware of problems and deal with them but also carry on the wonderful work that is being done day in day out by everyone involved.